Effective healthcare commissioning: publications and resources
The Centre for Commissioning has produced a range of resources offering practical guidance on healthcare commissioning.
Principles for commissioning
Good healthcare commissioning should be based on five key principles:
- Improving outcomes for patients and communities, prioritising demand over supply and encouraging innovation
- Patient empowerment through shared approaches to care, keeping patients fully informed and helping them to share their own care
- Evidence-based practice in assessing needs, designing services and monitoring outcomes
- Community mobilisation
- Sustainability
General guidance on commissioning
These briefing documents explain the principles behind clinical commissioning, and provide context for the shift to clinical commissioning in the NHS.
Video: commissioning for First5 GPs
Dr Gary Howsam and Dr Jason John discuss the role of the First5 GPs in commissioning and the potential barriers that need to be broken down.
Competencies part 1: essential skills for all clinicians
Sets out the skills and attitude that GPs and all clinicians involved in commissioning must have to make commissioning succeed in their area.The skills described are based on RCGP’s core curriculum statement Being a General Practitioner, and the guidance covers the NHS Commissioning Board’s six authorisation domains.
Competencies part 2: essential skills for clinical leads, directors and teams
Sets out the skills and attitude that GPs and their clinical commissioning teams must have to make commissioning succeed in their area. It's relevant for clinical commissioning leads, clinical commissioning directors and clinical commissioning teams, and the guidance covers the NHS Commissioning Board’s six authorisation domains.
Guidance on aspects of commissioning
Conflicts of interest in clinical commissioning groups
This guidance from the RCGP and the NHS Confederation offers practical solutions for members of clinical commissioning groups for avoiding conflicts of interest.
Video: diagnostics and testing
Dr Nicholas Summerton outlines key aspects of this commissioning sector.
Eye care commissioning
Put together by RCGP and other organisations including the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the RNIB and RCN, the UK Vision Strategy website supports clinical commissioning of eye care and sight loss services.
Video: partnerships in commissioning
Dr Fiona Head discusses how to establish these partnerships and build the best care pathways for patients.
Patient and public involvement
Covers the importance of community involvement in ensuring an efficient and effective service. It includes information on the importance of patient participation groups and the best ways of interacting with communities, including those who are hard to reach.
Video: sustainable healthcare
Dr Tim Ballard explains why sustainable healthcare needs to be commissioned appropriately
- Download Sustainable Healthcare [PDF]
Video: urgent and emergency care
Written by Dr Agnelo Fernandes, this publication and accompanying video aims to give GPs a wider perspective on the urgent and emergency care system, with a view to promoting good service design in the future.
Values based commissioning in mental health
This briefing document looks at how values and beliefs shape attitudes, many of which underpin mental health services.
Learning disabilities: an evidence-based guide
With the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Learning Disabilities Observatory, RCGP has produced 'Improving the Health and Wellbeing of People with Learning Disabilities: An Evidence-Based Commissioning Guide for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).
Sign up for our course on commissioning
'Commissioning: what is it, and what’s my role?' introduces the basics of clinically-led commissioning, what healthcare commissioning involves, the role you might play, and the benefits of involving clinicians and patients.
It explains processes used in commissioning and some commonly used terminology. The course is aimed at the ‘typical’ GP, GP trainee or practice nurse.
Commissioning: what is it, and what’s my role?
Contact the centre
The centre welcomes comments on its commissioning resources