Commissioning framework for health and well-being

We welcome the ambition of the Commissioning Framework to make a real difference for individuals and communities by focusing commissioning on outcomes. We hope that both providers and commissioners will use the Framework as a lever to focus negotiations on outcomes, rather than quantity.

Our recommendations for the Framework reflect our continuing concerns about the reliance on commissioning to achieve service change. Commissioning is one of the necessary features of quality improvement, but it alone will not lead to improvement.

The four areas covered in our response are:

• Information for effective commissioning and for assuring high quality provision (consultation questions 6 and 10).
• Clinical engagement in commissioning to improve healthcare quality (Executive Summary – 8 Steps to effective commissioning).
• National support for commissioners to develop commissioning capability (consultation question 20).
• Enhancing provider capability to improve quality (consultation question 10).

As well as using our learning from all of our programmes of work, we asked leaders from a range of NHS organisations to provide their views and experiences in relation to the issues the consultation raised.

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