Commissioning is the process of identifying needs, allocating resources, and finding the right provider to meet those needs with the resources we have available.
The Care Act defines commissioning as the local authority’s ongoing activity to:
- Assess the care and support needs of the local population.
- Determine what needs to be arranged by the authority.
- Design, deliver, monitor, and evaluate services to ensure they meet those needs.
What we do
Strategic commissioning helps us and our partners procure services that achieve the priority outcomes set out in our strategic plans and Market Position Statements.
Our Integrated Commissioning Service focuses on:
- Promoting well-being.
- Embedding a strength and asset-based approach to the commissioning process.
- Supporting people to live independently at home for as long as possible, supported by technology and low-level care and support when required.
- Using clear data and needs assessments to understand people's needs and gaps in the market.
- Develop cost-effective solutions and interventions.
- Make the best use of public funds.
View our commissioning strategies and Market Position Statements
- Health and Care Commissioning Strategy
- Market Position Statements
- Adult Social Care Provider Workforce Development Strategy
- Specialist Housing and Supported Living Needs Assessment
- Multi-Agency Concern Procedure
Our responsibilities under the Care Act 2014
As a council with an Adult Social Care service, we must:
- Oversee the care market.
- Collaborate with providers to develop high-quality services.
- Guarantee capacity to meet local needs.
- Ensure the safety of people who use services.
Our Integrated Commissioning Strategy helps the service fulfil this duty by setting its commissioning intentions.
The commissioning process
The process of commissioning includes these key steps and considerations:
- Assessing Needs: understanding the current and future needs of the population.
- Evidence-Led Commissioning: using a wide range of data sources, including regional and national data.
- Setting Priorities and Strategies: developing strategies to meet needs in line with local and national targets.
- Securing Services: finding and securing services from providers to meet these needs and targets.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: regularly checking and evaluating outcomes.
- Listening to Stakeholders: making sure the voices of service users, families, providers, and communities are heard throughout the process.
- Market Engagement: maintaining strong engagement and collaboration with the market.
Working with our partners and stakeholders
Through true partnership working, we strive to:
- Collaborate with partners and stakeholders.
- Promote equality of opportunity and access for all communities, and challenge discrimination if it arises.
- Involve local people in identifying the challenges and redesigning services.
- Challenge health inequalities, to ensure equity within our services.
We work closely with partners, providers, and people to deliver on our vision and intentions. We have:
- Honest, open, and regular dialogue with our stakeholders.
- Regular contract management and provider forums to gain a good understanding of the market.
The aims of our Integrated Commissioning Service
Our integrated commissioning service aims to:
- Develop and procure strength-based interventions as early as possible.
- Support people to learn new skills, and maintain or regain their independence.
- Support other caring arrangements through supporting families and unpaid carers.
The importance of commissioning and shaping the market
Commissioning and market shaping are essential for:
- Introducing new models of care.
- Delivering high-quality and innovative services.
- Ensuring sustainable care markets.
Our ambition and principles
We strive to provide person-centred and outcome-focused care through a sustainable market that is inclusive, fair, and well-led.
We aim for individuals to:
- Live healthy and independent lives.
- Achieve their full potential.
Our commissioned services focus on preventing ill-health by working on a community level to ensure early intervention. Prevention is at the forefront of what we do.
How we review and improve our services
All councils should periodically review and adapt services to make sure they continue to meet changing local needs or in response to changes in national policy.
When a service needs reviewing or potentially decommissioning, we do so with a clear rationale of why change is needed, using a robust process of impact analysis that looks at the long-term “whole-life” impacts of services on people, providers, and the wider community.
We need to make sure that we deliver good, cost-effective services while continuing to improve by listening to feedback from people with lived and learned experiences. This ensures that our people remain at the centre of what we do – ‘people at the heart from the start’.
Let us know your thoughts
If you have any feedback regarding our services and how we commission them, get in touch using the contact details on this page.