Part 5: Driving commitment
Strand 3: The Reality of a Whole Systems Approach
Video
Learning Objectives
After watching this section, you should be able to:
- Explain the practical steps used to embed a whole systems approach into organisational structures, including policy, resourcing, and leadership
- Describe the three roles used to think about who can help gain commitment to a whole systems approach
- Describe how governance and accountability can be used to monitor progress, and how a working group structure can coordinate action across stakeholders
Key Points
- Driving commitment involves embedding change into organisations — building skills, identifying roles, and establishing feedback processes
- Sustained change is embedded by writing it into formal policies (e.g. advertising and sponsorship policies), rather than relying on a one-off activity
- Securing resource commitment and having leadership that understands the direction of the whole systems approach is important
- Three roles for thinking about who can help gain commitment are: the policy entrepreneur, the policy champion, and the policy supporter
- A working group structure brings together a wide range of stakeholders (third sector, academia, NHS, local authority departments) to drive the approach forward
Further Reading
Add recommended readings or links for this segment.
Knowledge Check
Complete the questions below before moving on.
Which of the following is described in this section as one of the subgroups feeding into the core working group for this whole systems approach?
The correct answer is Healthy weight and childhood food. This section describes a core working group with several subgroups, including healthy weight and childhood food, sustainability and health, food and physical activity strategy, communications, and a mental health partnership. Housing, transport, and digital inclusion are plausible areas of local authority work but are not among the subgroups named in this section.
- False — housing and homelessness is not one of the subgroups named in this section.
- False — digital inclusion and technology is not one of the subgroups named in this section.
- True
- False — transport and active travel is not one of the subgroups named in this section.