Institute of Management Services News
The Need to increase Bahamas Productivity
The Government of the Bahamas intends to introduce draft productivity legislation that would enable them to create a National Productivity Council.
It is seen as essential to create a National Productivity Council to oversee a rise in workplace output as increased worker productivity is vital if the Bahamas is to compete more effectively in a world economy that is becoming ever-more technology driven, with national boundaries increasingly falling away as an obstacle to commerce.
The intention is to introduce national productivity legislation before Parliament by June this year.
The Bahamian private sector has long voiced concerns over what it sees as relatively low overall productivity by the workforce, and has been especially vexed at the quality of potential employees coming out of the public high school system.
Frequently voiced complaints are that many employee candidates lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, and even rudimentary socialisation that will enable them to get along with both colleagues and customers to deliver the required level of service.
Posted on: 28-Jan-2019@10:23:16, updated on: 28-Jan-2019@10:23:16.
Continuing Professional Development
Life Skills are critical for our success, whether at work, or in life. How we communicate, build relationships, and resolve conflict and complex problems –amongst many other skills – are absolutely essential.
Often young people are unaware of how important Life Skills are for being successful at whatever they do: an outstanding qualification, and technical skills, are necessary but not sufficient, for a good career.
More and more, employees in businesses and workplaces are required to collaborate with colleagues in new and innovative ways that increase productivity and reach clear business objectives, which is were Life Skills become increasingly important.
Technical skills can help the individual achieve the academic skill they need but require constant refining in order to remain current and relevant for future employment. This is why Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is so important. It not only updates the persons technical skills but also develops Life Skills to go forward and be successful in their chosen career.
The Institute of Management Services offers a structured CPD programme to ensure both technical and Life Skills are updated.
Posted on: 19-Jan-2019@11:12:28, updated on: 19-Jan-2019@11:12:28.
UK Public Bodies give poor value for money
According to the National Audit Office (NAO) the number of public bodies in England failing to provide value for money is “unacceptably high” and increasing, the public spending watchdog has warned.
Of nearly 1,000 councils, police, fire and NHS bodies across England, 208 (22%) were found to have “significant weaknesses” in securing value for money in 2017-18. This was higher than the 170 (18%) of public bodies awarded a ‘qualified’ audit conclusion – signifying the significant weaknesses - in 2015-16.
“This increase varies between local government and NHS sectors”, the report found – with NHS bodies seemingly faring worse than other public bodies.
Amongst the 442 NHS bodies, which received funding of about £100bn in the last financial year, 38% local NHS bodies received a qualified audit conclusion, the NAO reported showed.
Of the 495 local authorities, police and fire authorities – responsible for about £54bn of net revenue spending in 2017-18 - the NAO said that 8% were given a qualified audit in the last financial year.
Head of the NAO Amyas Morse said: “I am shocked by the persistent high level of qualified audit reports at local public bodies.
“A qualification is a judgement that something is seriously wrong, but despite these continued warnings, the number of bodies receiving qualifications is trending upwards.”
The proportion of qualified audit opinions was highest for single-tier local authorities and county councils, where auditors qualified 27 (18%) of their value for money arrangements conclusions.
Posted on: 17-Jan-2019@23:59:01, updated on: 17-Jan-2019@23:59:01.
Productivity in the NHS
The UK Government has published its long term plan for the NHS in England. It is reported that the Treasury is worried that the extra funding will not bring about improvementsand and is seeking wants assurances that the money will deliver the improvements promised and has set a productivity target of 1.1% a year. This target will be make or break; without productivity gains the NHS would need around £10 billion of further funding in 2023/24 just to stand still.
In recent years the NHS has had a good story to tell on productivity. The latest data from ONS shows that in 2017, health care productivity grew by 3% – substantially above both performance across the economy as a whole. A target of 1.1% a year might therefore seem unambitious, but much of the productivity growth in recent years has come from one-off events which can’t be repeated. For example, big blockbuster and expensive drugs reached the end of their patent life and the NHS saved money by switching to cheaper, generic alternatives which help productivity levels to increase but is not sustainable in future years.
Posted on: 17-Jan-2019@23:39:42, updated on: 17-Jan-2019@23:39:42.
