title: Partnership working and improved service delivery: views of staff providing sexual health services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Successful partnership working has theoretically been linked to improvements in service delivery and is dependent on the strength of the partnership, trust, communication, professional roles and resource sharing. Empirical evidence to confirm the relationships between these factors and improved service provision, however, is lacking. Our aim was to assess the views of staff as to the conditions required for partnership working.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a cross-sectional survey of 687 staff offering sexual health education, information or support to young people in the Healthy Respect intervention area in Scotland. Views of each variable were scored and structural equation modelling was used to assess the theoretical model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses were received from 284 (41%) staff. Greater strength of partnership was directly associated with increasing the number of referrals. Establishing professional roles between organizations was also associated with increasing the number of referrals. Strength of partnership was indirectly associated with working more effectively with young people and this relationship depended on clear communication, trust, established professional roles and shared resources. Effective partnership working depends on a number of interdependent relationships between organizations, which act synergistically to improve organizational outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective partnership working leads to improved service delivery though there is a need for better controlled studies which demonstrate the effect on health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. j.pow@napier.ac.uk
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pow
authors.forename: Lawrie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raeside
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Themessl-Huber
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Claveirole
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D034121:Reproductive Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D012606:Scotland; D012736:Sex Education
keywords: national demonstration project; partnership working; structural equation modelling