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The Government's vision for social care highlights choice and control by individuals. This paper draws on findings from a King's Fund study and considers how far collaborative commissioning is ready to meet the challenges of ensuring a diverse menu of flexible, integrated services for people using either direct payments or individual budgets. It concludes that more needs to be done to build commissioning skills, and other investment in developing the care market will be needed to deliver the Green Paper's aspirations.

This article describes a process undertaken to develop a set of commissioning principles to support the commissioning of secure learning disability services across England. The principles, shaped around the 11 competencies laid down in the World Class Commissioning competencies framework (Department of Health, 2008a), were produced following a scoping exercise that looked at provision and commissioning of secure learning disability services within each strategic health authority (SHA) area in England. Specific details were collected about types of services provided, including detailed service specification, quality indicators, how these (specialist) services link with local services (secure and non secure) and cost of services. Information collected about commissioning concentrated on strategic vision, practical commissioning arrangements, how the quality of services was monitored, how access to services was controlled and how ‘secure’ service users are reintegrated back into local (non secure) services and communities. This scoping exercise was augmented by qualitative data obtained from interview with a group of former service users. Themes generated through the interviews were integrated within the general guidance. A quality assurance framework based on the World Class Commissioning Competencies is proposed, against which specialist and local commissioners can benchmark their current commissioning arrangements.

Current English health policy is focused on strengthening the ‘demand-side’ of the health care system. Recent reforms are designed to significantly enhance the capability and status of the organisations responsible for commissioning health care services and, in so doing, to address some of the perceived problems of a historically provider/supplierled health system. In this context, commissioning organisations are being encouraged to draw on concepts and processes derived from commercial procurement and supply chain management (SCM) as they develop their expertise. While the application of such principles in the health sector is not new, existing work in the UK has not often considered the role of health care purchasers in the management of health service supply-chains. This paper describes the status of commissioning in the NHS, briefly reviews the procurement and SCM literature and begins to explore the links between them. It lays the foundations for further work which will test the extent to which lessons can be extracted in principle from the procurement literature and applied in practice by health care commissioners.

Learning disability services have been at the forefront of attempts to develop effective joint working between health and local authority agencies. There is now an emergent framework for commissioners to work together and some, albeit patchy, experience of doing so. Joint commissioning has demonstrated potential benefits for service users, though there is still considerable scope for widening the range of stakeholders and more firmly establishing it in the host organisations.

The commissioning of building services is very much the ‘Cinderella’ activity in the construction cycle, many complaints are heard but few praises sung. This paper examines the current process of commissioning building services within the traditional procurement route. A literature review is presented followed by the results of a two‐stage structured survey from a broad spectrum of participants. A best practice flow chart for managing the commissioning process is presented, tested and confirmed, identifying an auditable chain of responsibilities in the commissioning process. Key conclusions include the need to recognize that the commissioning process requires planning and managing from the earliest possible stage; the need to appoint a commissioning manager — preferable someone in‐house, or a member of the design team; the need for better end‐user documentation and training; the requirement for a more formalized approach and the requirement for clarification on the terms of engagement for the services designer.

As many states recognise the need to enter into new relationships with the third sector, strategic commissioning of services has moved up the political agenda. The establishment of the Office of the Third Sector in the UK Cabinet Office heralded a commitment to engage the “voice” and “choice” of third sector organizations in designing, delivering and measuring public service delivery. This paper seeks to report on the findings gathered from a series of workshops and other data collection on public sector commissioning of third sector service delivery, and to highlight some tensions and emerging issues in this policy field.

Qualitative data from workshops were supplemented with observations, interview data, existing research, and secondary data from a number of government agencies and third sector representative organizations.

The findings from the workshops and other data collection methods will feed into future design and development of training programmes for public sector and third sector officers. They should also inform the policy debate and enhance understanding of some of the tensions and problems facing practitioners in this policy field.

Little research exists on third sector or public sector commissioning, and this work will be of value to policy makers, practitioners and academics concerned with strategic commissioning. The paper augments existing theory on state and non‐governmental relationships and the contribution of third sector agencies to public service delivery.

The purpose of this study is to examine changes in the nature, form and range of commissioning arrangements for home care.

Data from two discrete national surveys of English local authorities with social service responsibilities were used. In the first, undertaken in 2007, responses from 111 of the 151 local authorities (74%) were received; in the second, undertaken in 2017, responses from 109 local authorities (72%) were received. A combined data set of 79 complete cases, 52% of local authorities, was created. Percentage point differences across the two time periods were calculated and tested to identify significant changes and a systematic analysis of the free-text responses regarding intended changes to the commissioning process in each data set was undertaken.

Findings identified substantial changes in some aspects of the commissioning of home care in the 2007-2017 decade. Collaboration between stakeholders had increased, particularly regarding the identification of future needs. Improved conditions of service and remuneration for home care workers were evident within the commissioning process. Standardised charges for home care (regardless of time and day) had also become more widespread. Initiatives to prompt providers to deliver more personalised care were more evident.

This paper describes the evolution of commissioning arrangements for home care in localities in response to national policy initiatives. It provides guidance to commissioners in meeting the needs of current service users and emphasises the importance of collaboration with stakeholders, particularly providers, in securing future capacity.

Securing better health and better care outcomes for people by effective use of public resources is at the heart of the commissioning agenda. Commissioning should ensure that the needs and wishes of people are well understood, and the market managed, so there are a range of local supports and provision available at a reasonable price. This is particularly important for people with intellectual disability whose behaviour is challenging, where effective clinically informed leadership is essential. Although models of good practice have been demonstrated for more than 20 years, making this happen on a wider scale remains the real challenge. Common wisdom about positive practice is not common practice in meeting identified needs. This paper aims to demystify the ‘commissioning’ role, and highlights the case for change in current practice, exploring some of the key barriers that must be addressed and suggesting ways to achieve better outcomes.

Commissioning is the Government's preferred method of driving improvement in both health and local government. Commissioning occurs at several levels, from strategic, high‐level visioning to more intimate purchase by or on behalf of individuals who need services. While there is much written about commissioning as an organisational concept, the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to aid strategic commissioners do an excellent job are still not well articulated. This article looks at some of the key knowledge to be acquired in the near future that will assist strategic commissioners in getting to grips with their massive agenda. It charts key moments in recent policy development to reiterate their strategic role, acknowledges cross‐cutting themes and seeks to define some of the more developed thinking that commissioning strategists will have in their box of tricks.

The purpose of this paper is to explore change within the commissioning of third sector mental health services in England.

A case study methodology based on survey and interview data of a sample of third sector organisations and commissioners within an English conurbation.

Normative commissioning models based on sequential cycles were not fully implemented with the main focus being on the procurement and contracting elements. There were examples of commissioning being an enabler of service improvement but overall it seems to have been limited in its ability to bring about whole system change. Barriers included commissioners’ capacity and competence, ineffectual systems within their organisations, and fragmentation in commissioning processes between user groups, organisations and sectors.

The case study conurbation may not represent practice in all urban areas of England and there may be particular issues of difference within rural localities. The view of private and public sector providers and those working in Commissioning Support Units were not sought.

To lead whole system change the commissioning function needs to be adequately resourced and skilled with better integration across public sector functions and organisations. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on implementing the full commissioning cycle, including the engagement of relevant stakeholders throughout the process and the practical application of outcomes.

This research adds to the limited body of empirical work regarding commissioning in mental health.