BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES
About INDEX
INDEX (Innovation Delivers Expansion) is a unique demand-led innovation voucher scheme led that invites Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to apply for a voucher to purchase academic support from one of the 13 Higher Education Institutions in the West Midlands. The project is funded by Advantage West Midlands (AWM), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Innovation Vouchers allow SMEs to purchase academic expertise knowledge to develop their innovation and enhance their business.
The Innovation Voucher scheme aims to build links between Universities and SMEs to create a demand led approach to innovation.ABOUT THE BUSINESS: Public Management Associates
Public Management Associates
13 Old Square
Warwick
CV34 4RA
Telephone: 01926 490111
Email: bbailey@pmaresearch.co.uk
Website: www.pmaresearch.co.uk
Main Contact: Barbara Bailey
An independent research, training and consultancy organisation working in the fields of public health, behaviour change, public sector organisational development, equality and diversity, coaching, tobacco control and local authority policy development.
Public Management Associates was set up in the late 1980s by a group of Social Policy Academics and Public Sector Practitioners to carry out research, consultancy and training for public sector organisations engaged with the issues of social inclusion, equalities, health improvement and public sector organisational development.
PMA is now a major provider of behavioural change interventions, runs a series of modernising public health programmes, is closely identified with national equality and diversity initiatives and produces a wide range of public health audit systems.
Very few public sector organisations are able to maintain an independent policy analysis capacity. Organisations like PMA provide an opportunity to access appropriate training, research and consultancy support which is flexible, sensitive to local circumstances and economic in providing level, experienced analysts which no single organisation can maintain as part of its permanent staff.
PMA has specialised in producing programmes and analytical tools which, whilst meeting the general needs of the public sector, can be customised specifically to individual clients. Generally they do not opportunistically tender for work, but offer specialised interventions commissioned specifically by their clients.INNOVATION
Innovation (3) Health Technology and Healthcare
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Public Management Associates is a research and training organisation specialising in the fields of public health and health inequalities.
PMA was anxious to develop an intervention to address childhood obesity and was in the early stages of research in this area. They had conducted an initial scoping report with selected NHS Primary Care Trusts across England (Spearhead Trusts) to identify gaps in existing services, and were in a position to build an intervention to fill these gaps, that could be tailored to address the individual characteristics of specific communities.
PMA required the opportunity to access academic expertise within the field to develop an innovative approach to this intervention work. Assistance with a needs assessment by conducting qualitative interviews with public health professionals specialising in childhood obesity was undertaken. PMA had worked closely with Coventry University on a number of health-related projects and had a good relationship with its Health Services Research Group.WORK UNDERTAKEN
Conducted interviews with commissioners and providers of childhood obesity prevention services to identify why current service delivery does not stop the increase in childhood obesity.
Collation and analysis of interview findings into a summary diagram plus brief written report describing the methodology used. Development of recommendations and tools to be offered to address the identified conditions and barriers.
Six 6 days of work completed at stakeholder sites and at HEI, including travel + 4 days of expert time to identify strategies and recommendations.
ABOUT THE HEI: Coventry University
Coventry University
Priory Street
Coventry
CV1 5FB
ABOUT THE ACADEMIC
Dr Jemma Edmunds, Research Fellow, Applied Research Centre in Health and Lifestyle Intervention
Jemma’s Research interests include:
- Exercise Psychology
- The psychological constructs underpinning exercise behaviour and engagement
- The development of interventions to promote physical activity