Understand and identify future performance challenges amongst Fire and Rescue Authorities in England

The brief

  • Identify, assess and summarise current data with analysis of performance trends and characteristics of Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs)
  • Provide an evidenced based analysis of how data might be used to assess performance risks and implications for improvement policy
  • Consider how current policy impacts on FRA performance

What we did

  • Carried out desk-based reading and analysis of existing data, research and other key sources and produced a clear and compelling presentation ‘telling the story’ on FRA performance
  • Facilitated workshops and carried out one-to-one interviews with key stakeholders to help shape and secure buy-in to the scope of the project and key questions to explore
  • Developed options for how current data can be used to:
    • identify common factors between FRAs with similar performance characteristics
    • highlight risks of potential declines in FRA performance
    • understand how FRA performance relates to external factors (e.g. socio-economic)
    • assess the impact of policy and improvement activity on FRA performance
    • underpin a model of performance risks across FRAs
  • Produced an executive summary style report with key findings and recommendations

Impact

  • Clear presentation of data on FRA performance used to inform policy development on sector-led improvement
  • Data analysis adopted and used to inform ongoing processes supporting FRA performance improvement
  • Strengthened links between key stakeholders in the use and discussion of performance data

Feedback

Our work with Isos Partnership made a significant contribution to developing policy thinking on the performance management framework for the Fire & Rescue Service in England. Isos delivered a high quality product to tight deadlines and with professionalism throughout.