144 Shared responsibility between partners should never mean diminished accountability to the public. Partners should decide how and when they will communicate with service users. They should know when it is appropriate to promote different collaborations under the general heading of partnership. They should make clear to the public which organisation is accountable for service quality decisions and how service users can obtain redress if something goes wrong.
145 On occasion, it may be important for partners to communicate jointly to the public; on other occasions partners will wish to report on their partnership working through their individual corporate communications. It is important that the public develops a better understanding of how partnerships affect them and what costs and benefits partnerships bring to service users. Open meetings should be the norm, subject to safeguarding sensitive and confidential information.
146 Local authorities have known for some time that a significant proportion of their local communities do not know which services the council provides. Partnerships complicate this picture for the public. Locally commissioned research would shed interesting light on how the public sees different forms of collaboration. Such research could help to guide partnerships as they plan and deliver services.