A new development programme has been set up by NHS England to support integrated care boards (ICB) to deliver strategic commissioning.
The Strategic Commissioning Development Programme, launched at the ConfedExpo conference in Manchester last week, will offer practical support for health boards and their partners to strengthen their role as strategic commissioners.
An email sent to ICBs last week, signed by NHS England’s deputy chief executive Glen Burley and national programme director for strategic commissioning Richard Watson, set out details of the programme and launched the ‘first phase of support available’.
The pair said the programme has been developed to build on NHS England’s Strategic Commissioning Framework and the increasing importance of commissioning in delivering the ambitions of the 10-Year Health Plan.
The email added: ‘Strategic commissioning has a critical role to play in improving population health, tackling inequalities, supporting neighbourhood health, maximising value from public resources and ensuring the long-term sustainability of services.
‘Over the last three months, we have worked closely with ICB colleagues to shape a practical development offer that supports commissioners to turn the framework from a description of what good commissioning looks like into practical support for how it can be delivered.’
One element of the programme is a new commissioning academy, a ‘national learning and development platform’ which provides immediate access to foundational e-learning on strategic commissioning and value-based care, the email said.
It will also provide access to a commissioning self-assessment and diagnostic tool, case studies and practical resources.
‘We encourage ICB leaders and commissioning teams to explore the foundation offer, share it with relevant colleagues, and use the self-assessment tool and learning resources to support local capability building,’ the email said.
The academy is one of five elements of the programme, including a strategic commissioning intelligence centre, commissioning for neighbourhood health learning networks, and board and leadership development.
The email also said that the ‘flagship component’ will be a population-based commissioning action learning programme that will provide hands-on support to each ICB and a multidisciplinary cohort of participants from across local systems.
It will go live in Autumn of this year and will support teams through the commissioning cycle to:
- Understand population need and opportunity;
- Develop ‘robust economic’ and analytical cases for change;
- Design new models of care and delivery;
- Explore contracting, payment and ‘market-shaping’ approaches in support of new multi-neighbourhood and integrated healthcare organisation contracts; and
- Evaluate impact and outcomes.
The email also said the programme is designed to support staff making ‘difficult decisions’ about priorities, pathways, investment and outcomes in an environment of increasing demand, financial constraint and rising expectations for population health improvement.
It added: ‘We recognise the significant pressures systems continue to face during a period of considerable change and challenge.
‘Against that backdrop, it has been genuinely encouraging to see the enthusiasm, ambition and commitment that exists across the country to strengthen commissioning capability and support the future development of the NHS.’
Last year the government’s instructed ICBs to reduce their headcount by 50%, with the total number of boards reduced from 42 to 36 as of 1 April this year.
The email also said that NHS England will recruit a small number of strategic commissioning advisors from across the health and care sector to keep the programme ‘grounded in real-world challenges and practice’.
In a statement to Healthcare Leader Mr Watson said: ‘Strategic commissioning is one of the most powerful levers we have to improve outcomes, tackle inequalities and make the best use of public resources.
‘This programme, co-funded and co-designed with ICBs, represents a significant investment in the people, skills and tools needed to help systems move from managing today’s pressures to shaping the future health of their populations.
‘The response from ICBs has been overwhelmingly positive because colleagues recognise that strengthening commissioning is fundamental to delivering better outcomes and the vision of the 10-Year Health Plan.’
The launch of the programme comes as the NHS Modernisation Bill is progressing through parliament, which will pave the way for ICBs to become strategic commissioners by transferring responsibilities for ‘all but the most specialised commissioning functions’ to them.
The email said the Strategic Commissioning Development Programme will be made up of five elements:
- Commissioning Academy
A national learning and development platform providing immediate access to:
- Foundational e-learning on strategic commissioning and value-based care
- A commissioning self-assessment and diagnostic tool
- Case studies and practical resources, including international examples
- Access to thought leadership, webinars, podcasts and shared learning
- A national repository of commissioning tools and good practice
- Strategic Commissioning Intelligence Centre
Delivered in partnership with the Strategy Unit, the Centre will provide:
- Access to analytical expertise and decision-support capability
- Evidence synthesis and curation
- Technical development opportunities for intelligence teams
- Practical support to strengthen intelligence functions and evidence-informed commissioning
- Identification of opportunities to achieve scale benefits through sharing good practice effectively and through tackling questions in common collectively
- Commissioning for Neighbourhood Health Learning Networks
Delivered in partnership with the NHS Alliance and The King’s Fund, four learning networks (circa 18 people per network) will be established to bring together senior commissioning leaders from every ICB to explore the key levers for delivering neighbourhood health services. Each network will have access to:
- Expert insight to build knowledge and understanding across the four stages of commissioning
- Forums to share learning and develop practical solutions to common challenges
- Board and Leadership Development
We are currently working with your teams on how we can support Board development as ICBs develop further into their role as strategic commissioners. More detail on this will be available later this year.
- Population-Based Commissioning Action Learning Programme
The flagship component of the programme will provide hands-on support to each ICB and a multidisciplinary cohort of participants from across local systems.
Working through live commissioning challenges, teams will be supported through the commissioning cycle to:
- Understand population need and opportunity
- Develop robust economic and analytical cases for change
- Design new models of care and delivery
- Explore contracting, payment and market-shaping approaches in support of new multi-neighbourhood and Integrated Healthcare Organisation contracts
- Evaluate impact and outcomes
