CENTRE for CROSS BORDER STUDIES
Generating real benefits through practical cross-border cooperation in Ireland
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Press release 17 May 2001
"Co-operation and Working Together has a valuable role to play in influencing the emerging all-Ireland agenda ..." . so state the authors of a new report, "From Concept to Realisation: an evaluation of Co-operation and Working Together", which was launched today, Thursday, 17 May 2001, at the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh. Co-operation and Working Together (CAWT) is a unique partnership of health Boards and health Trusts on both sides of the border. It brings together health and social care professionals from a wide range of areas, including acute, primary care, mental health and learning disability, to work on cross-border joint projects, training events, conferences and information exchanges. Introducing today's event, Paul Robinson, Director General of CAWT, stated "In health, as indeed in many other areas, our problems in both parts of the island of Ireland are common and the potential benefit of tackling these together rather than pursuing them in isolation is obvious. We all seek to promote good health, encourage healthy lifestyles, improve the quality and effectiveness of health care and treatment, tackle inequalities in health and find ways of balancing the increasing specialisation of services with our local communities' legitimate concerns about accessing them. It was this set of values and concerns which were the drivers in establishing CAWT in July 1992. "In the initial years, CAWT concentrated on providing a framework for individuals and groups to come together on a range of common issues relevant to their service areas. With maturity, the focus of participation widened beyond the immediate concerns of specific services areas, and we began to formalise structures and focus on outputs and outcomes in order to deliver cross-border services for the one million population living in the border region. "Last year, we felt it was time to take stock, to begin to look at how co-operation has been embedded into mainstream health and social care services and to consider the effectiveness or not of the existing partnership arrangements. To this end, we commissioned the Centre for Cross Border Studies to undertake an independent and objective evaluation of our organisation." Dr Patricia Clarke and Dr Jim Jamison's report provides a comprehensive analysis of the CAWT organisation, its origins, objectives and progress to improve the health and social wellbeing of the border population. Paul Robinson concluded, "Working with the Centre for Cross Border Studies has been a positive experience, and on behalf of my colleagues on the Management Board, I would like to thank Dr Patricia Clarke and Dr Jim Jamison for this comprehensive report, which will greatly assist us as we focus on the future strategic direction of CAWT." Notes to Editor Last year, the Centre for Cross Border Studies was commissioned to undertake an independent and objective evaluation of the CAWT organisation. Among its findings were:
CAWT was established in 1992 with the aim of improving the health and social wellbeing of the one million residents in the border region. CAWT is made up of the four Health Boards and seven Trusts, which are located along the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Centre for Cross Border Studies, based in Armagh, has been set up to research and develop co-operation across the Irish border in education, health, business, public administration, communications and a range of other practical areas. The Centre is a joint initiative by Queen's University, Dublin City University and the Workers' Educational Association (NI). Its pilot phase, which started in September 1999, is financed by the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation. For further information, please contact:
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