Public–private partnerships, boundary spanners and the boundary wall in the English National Health Service

Abstract

PurposeThe paper investigates English National Health Service (NHS) organisations partnering with private companies, a form commonly known as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Successive governments have promoted PPPs as a way of improving the delivery of health care, making the best of the different skills/experience which both sectors bring. However, the task of making these relationships work on the ground often falls to individual leaders/practitioners (“boundary spanners”) whose role has been under-researched in this type of partnership.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for a comparative three case study approach, including 13 semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with employees representing middle and senior management involved in managing the partnerships. The data were complemented by documentary analysis, including minutes, descriptions of internal processes and press releases.FindingsThe paper provides conceptual and empirical insights by creating a framework called the “boundary wall” that indicates the ways in which different elements of the boundaries between organisations influence the role and activities of boundary spanners (managers of the partnership).Research limitations/implicationsThis is an initial framework in an under-researched area, so will need further testing and application to other case study sites in future research.Practical implicationsThe paper includes implications for both practice and policy.Originality/valueWhile we know an increasing amount about the role of boundary spanners in public partnerships, the paper makes a unique contribution by exploring these concepts in the context of relationships between the public and private sectors.