The Partnership Multiplier
The multiplier we recommend is 3. In other words, for every weekly Core Partnership session (half day or 3.5 hours) a clinician should begin 3 new Core Partnerships in a quarter (3 month period).
An example: Andrew Down is a systemic therapist who works full time. He has 6 sessions allocated for a range of clinical and managerial tasks and 1 session for a Choice clinic. This leaves 3 sessions a week for core Partnership work.
Multiplying these 3 sessions by the Partnership multiplier of 3 means he needs to see 3 x 3 = 9 new Core Partnerships in the next quarter.
TIP: This doesn’t mean that Andrew has to see and finish treating these 9 cases in a quarter. He just has to start them. The number is based on average treatment durations. The range may be wide.
Why 3?
We worked it out this way…
- In a 13- week quarter, staff only work around 11.25 weeks due to leave etc. (remember that we assume that out of 52 weeks a year we only work 45. So 45 divided into 4 quarters is 11.25)
- We assume that in each half day a clinician can offer 2 clinical appointments
- So, in a quarter, staff can offer 11.25 x 2 = 22.5 appointments
- We know each family and young person averages 7.5 appointments or less in Core Partnership (see above)
- And so 22.5 appointments divided by 7.5 appointments equals 3 complete interventions (on average)
So those 22.5 appointments mean that 3 children and young people, on average, can be seen and treated in the capacity provided by one session in a 3-month period.
This is used to work out how much new Core Partnership you can do.
How to use it?
First:
Look at each clinician’s job plan- how many half-day sessions or hours do they have for Core Partnership once Choice, Specific and Specific work, the team meeting and other commitments have been accounted for?
Then:
Either multiply that number of sessions by the Partnership multiplier to give the number of new Core Partnership appointments each clinicians should offer each 13-quarter (3 month periods) or Multiply that number of hours by 0.86. This is the hours converted to sessions – divided by 3.5 and then multiplied by the multiplier of 3 3 divided by 3.5 = 0.86. The answer gives the number of new Core Partnership appointments each clinicians should offer each 13 week quarter.
Why use a 13-week quarter?
We find it gives staff enough flexibility to choose when they do the new Core Partnership appointments. It fits with most activity reporting cycles.