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Public Services Forum

Background and Purpose

The Public Services Forum (PSF) was formed by Prime Minister Blair in 2003 to improve dialogue between Government, public service trade unions and employers.

Its core objective is to deliver excellent public services for all by bringing together public service partners to consider and work collectively on current and emerging workforce issues that impact on public services.

PSF people

The PSF is currently chaired by Tom Watson MP, Cabinet Office Minister.

The Forum's focus is on collective discussion, joint-working and action. Senior collegues from across the public sector attend to represent their organisation's or sector's insights and views on the issues being discussed. This includes:

• Senior officials from central Government Departments and other public service organisations such as Local Government Employers, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, NHS Employers and University College London Hospitals.
• The Trades Union Congress, national cross-sectoral trade unions, such as Unison, GMB and PCS, and other sector-specific unions such as Unite and Society of Radiographers.

In addition, the following organisations also attend two of the four meetings every year:

• The Confederation of British Industry and the Business Services Association, representing the private sector's role in delivering public services.
• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, representing the third sector's role in delivering public services.

In addition, the PSF invites external speakers and other Government Ministers to discuss specific issues with the Forum. For example:

• The Deputy Minister for Women on supporting women in the workplace
• The Chief Secretary to the Treasury on public sector pay policy
• The Minister for the Cabinet Office on the role of the Third Sector in public services.

Ways of working

The Forum meets four times per year in plenary session, but there are also smaller, more regular task-groups that are focused on forging progress on a specific area of interest for the PSF.

The Forum does not duplicate or displace discussions that should rightfully be addressed on a bilateral basis between central Government departments, public service employers, and relevant trade unions.

The secretariat for the PSF is provided by Cabinet Office, liaising closely with the TUC.

• Futher information about the work of the PSF

PSF projects and programmes

This page provides information about current and future work areas and areas of interest for the PSF, and also catalogues where the Forum has already delivered and made progress.

Current work

As well as the quarterly plenary meetings, the PSF operates smaller, more regular task groups to forge forward progress on a specific issue or work areas. Some recent areas of interest are explained below.

Learning and Skills in Public Services

The Learning and Skills Task Group of the Public Services Forum has published an executive summary of its report and a number of recommendations.

• Executive Summary of the Public Services Forum Learning and Skills Task Group Report [PDF, 8 Pages, 2.1 mb]

The main report will follow shortly.  The executive summary and recommendations were launched on 1 December by Tom Watson, the PSF Chair and Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary, at the Public Sector Skills Conference. 

The Learning and Skills Task Group was established in May 2006 and has focused on four priority areas for public services:

1. Building a joint commitment on delivering the Skills Pledge across public services;
2. Developing skills pathways for young people entering public services employment, especially via the Apprenticeship route;
3. Identifying good practice in leadership and management in facilitating access to skills by the public services workforce; and
4. Developing a skills investment strategy and a specific Train to Gain service for public services.

In addition, the Task Group has undertaken a case study of the adult social care sector to test the effectiveness and practicalities of the above policy recommendations. By reality testing the policy recommendations, we hope to significantly improve the quality and practicality of the initiatives that will eventually be introduced across all public services.

• Learning and Skills in Adult Social Care [PDF, 68 Pages, 2.1 mb]

The Task Group was co-chaired by Frances O'Grady (TUC Deputy General Secretary) and David Amos (Director of Workforce, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).

Diversity and Equality in Public Services

The PSF has also agreed to set up another Task Group looking and Diversity and Equality in public services, specifically best practice on single equality schemes and supporting women in the public service workplace.

PSF Progress

Workforce and employee engagement:

Organisations across the private and public sectors at some time all face the need for change, improving the way services are delivered and products developed.

A key factor in any successful change programme is a commitment to engaging and involving the workforce. A workforce that is convinced of the need for change and involved in the full process is much more likely to be committed to implementing any changes decided, and committed to the organisation as a whole.

If managers, employees and trade unions work together, organisations can innovate by tapping into staff knowledge and experience.

Trade union engagement can give employees the assurance that changes are for the benefit of the service and the workforce. Unions also give employees a voice that can contribute to bringing about the cultural changes essential to service improvement.

Cabinet Office has worked with the Public Services Forum, first to audit the extent and impact of current trade union and employee engagement in service changes, and then to develop a practical approach and toolkit to help public sector organisations to make the most of employee engagement.

• Sponsored and developed by the Public Services Forum, Drive for Change is a joint Cabinet Office-TUC project which comprises a web-based toolkit for public service employers, trade unions and employees to use together to support closer dialogue and joint working to take forward change to, or redesign of, services.
• PSF commissioned research on trade union and employee involvement in public service reform

Pay, rewards and pensions

The Forum has considered how pay and rewards can be used more effectively to support public service reform, improve service delivery and increase motivation. These discussion culminated in the preparation of the Pay and Reward Principles.

The Principles promote action in a number of areas including investment in skills; equal pay; pension reform; systems of pay incentives, and a constructive approach to increased workplace flexibility and adaptability. Together, they provide a common framework for future development of pay and reward systems across the public services.

Code of Practice on Workforce Matters

The PSF helped to develop the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Public Sector Service Contracts.