Health Management and Policy Alert

Specialised services and system working

NHS Providers - 

This briefing outlines NHS England’s changes to specialised commissioning, beginning April 2023, as well as NHS Providers analysis of the benefits and risks that come with greater system leadership.

• Briefing
• More detail

Advocacy services for adults with health and social care needs

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) -
This guideline covers advocacy for people using health and social care services in all adult settings (including young people under 18 using adult services). It describes how to commission and deliver effective advocacy, as well as identifying who should be offered advocacy (including who is legally entitled to it). It also covers monitoring and improving advocacy services, and training and skills for advocates and practitioners.

• NICE - guidance

Commissioning quality standard: alcohol and drug services

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities - 

This commissioning quality standard (CQS) sets standards that will guide local partnerships to commission alcohol and drug services more effectively. This guidance helps partnerships to: clarify the commissioning process they should follow; plan and deliver harm reduction, treatment and recovery interventions; understand local need for alcohol and drug services; assess whether anyone affected by problem alcohol and drug use is able to access the right support at the right time; and provide high-quality support from a multi-disciplinary skilled workforce for children, young people and adults affected by problem alcohol and drug use.

• Guidance
• More detail

National commissioning guidance for post Covid services

NHS England -
This document informs the commissioning of post Covid services in England. It aims to assist local health care systems to plan and deliver services that meet the varied and often complex needs of people living with long Covid.

• Guidance
• NHS England - publications

Perspectives on strengths-based approaches: social workers, commissioners and managers

Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) -
The aim of this study is to understand how existing strengths-based models and approaches are being applied in the social care and social work arena in England. It also explores how and why these have been implemented locally and how these models are impacting on practice.

• Report
• PSSRU - publications

Better commissioning for better lives: top tips for commissioners

NHS Confederation -

These top tips for commissioners are based on roundtable discussions between people with learning disabilities and commissioners in March 2022. They are part of a joint call to action from the Mental Health Network, Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities and Mencap to move beyond the years of policies and good intentions to now focus on making equality and inclusion for people with learning disabilities a reality.

• Briefing
• More detail

Department of Health and Social Care 2020–21 annual report and accounts

House of Commons Public Accounts Committee -
This report finds that the Department for Health & Social Care lost 75 per cent of the £12 billion it spent on personal protective equipment (PPE) in the first year of the pandemic to inflated prices and kit that did not meet requirements – including fully £4 billion of PPE that will not be used in the NHS and needs to be disposed of. The report also voices concerns about the risk of further payouts as NHS commissioning is restructured under upcoming reforms.

• Report
• House of Commons Public Accounts Committee - news

Provider Selection Regime: supplementary consultation on the detail of proposals for regulations

Department of Health and Social Care - 

The proposed Provider Selection Regime will be a new set of rules replacing the existing procurement rules for arranging health care services in England. The proposed rules will be introduced by regulations made under the Health and Care Bill. This consultation builds on the engagement and consultation activity which NHS England has undertaken over the past three years. It aims to build on the consensus achieved from NHS England’s consultation on proposals previously set out for the Provider Selection Regime, and does not repeat or reopen that consultation. This supplementary consultation seeks views from respondents to help develop the regulations for the Provider Selection Regime. This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 28 March 2022.

• Consultation details

Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN): 2022/23 — guidance

NHS England and NHS Improvement - 

This document sets out the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme for 2022-2023. Technical specifications for each of the indicators are available in the annex.

• Guidance
• More detail

Draft NHS Standard Contract 2022/23: a consultation - proposed changes to the NHS Standard Contract for 2022/23

NHS England -
The NHS Standard Contract is published by NHS England for use by NHS commissioners to contract for all health care services other than primary care services. This consultation document describes the main, material changes being proposed to the NHS Standard Contract. The closing date for comments is 28 January 2022.

• Consultation
• NHS England - publications