Health Management and Policy Alert

From delegation to integration: lessons from early delegation of primary pharmacy, ophthalmology and dentistry commissioning to integrated care boards

NHS Confederation - 

Delegation of primary pharmacy, ophthalmology and dentistry (POD) from NHS England to integrated care boards (ICBs) on 1 April 2023, provides an opportunity to transform care for patients but will need a realistic timetable and smooth transition if this transformation is to be achieved. This report provides evidence from nine ‘early adopter’ ICBs and argues that closer local collaboration between NHS systems and frontline providers can be the single biggest to driver to address local provision challenges.

• Report

Joining the dots: a blueprint for preventing and managing frailty in older

British Geriatrics Society - 

This document sets out seven system touchpoints and outcomes that should be considered when planning and commissioning health and social care for older people, alongside twelve actions that systems should take to create the conditions for high-quality integrated care for older people. The blueprint is aimed primarily at system leaders and commissioners of health and social care services for older people. It is hoped that it will assist these senior decision-makers to understand and implement the core features of age-attuned integrated care for older people.

• Blueprint
• More detail

England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2023: main report

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - 

This is England’s second Rare Diseases Action Plan, following the DHSC's commitment to publish action plans annually during the lifetime of the UK Rare Diseases Framework. This action plan has been developed in close collaboration with delivery partners across the health system and the rare disease community. It reports on progress against the sixteen actions set out in the first Rare Diseases Action Plan and announces thirteen new specific, measurable actions for the next year under the framework’s priority areas and underpinning themes.

• Policy paper
• More detail

NHS public health functions agreement 2022 to 2023

Department of Health and Social Care -
This guidance contains information about NHS England's objectives and funding arrangements as it commissions public health services. It sets out the arrangements under which the Secretary of State delegates responsibility to NHS England for certain public health services. The services currently commissioned in this way are: national immunisation programmes; national population screening programmes; child health information services; public health services for adults and children in secure and detained settings in England; and sexual assault services.

• Guidance
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

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