Strategic Commissioning
Across the country, NHS services are bought (commissioned) at a local level to makes sure areas have the right services in the right locations to meet the needs of their local people and communities.
Across the country, NHS services are bought (commissioned) at a local level to makes sure areas have the right services in the right locations to meet the needs of their local people and communities.
In the past, this buying role was carried out by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG). Now these decisions will take place on an ICS wide basis, with the Strategic Commissioning Team of NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough playing an important role in these decisions as over time we move these buying decisions to the most appropriate location.
This could be an NHS acute trust, a local authority or voluntary sector organisation. Equally it could be at one of our two Place-based partnerships or one of our other Teams. We will collectively review and agree where the best place to make these buying decisions is to find the right solutions for our local people and communities.
Such important changes will take time. While we do this our Strategic Commissioning Team will absorb most of the existing CCG functions, until these delegation decisions are confirmed.
The Strategic Commissioning Team also has a role to play, working with the ICS partners, to set strategic direction.
The focus will be on the longer term, rather than year to year, buying (commissioning) decisions. Using data and intelligence to take a strategic look at new and more sustainable ways of delivering care and reviewing this data alongside patient experience and community feedback.
This will allow resources to be allocated where they will have long term impact on our local population, working with those receiving care or using services to ensure it meets their current or future needs. It will also place a lot of emphasis on prevention and early intervention, and how we can use resources to support work here.
This will include looking at the following areas (with more to follow):
- managing overall resources and performance
- planning specialist services
- strategic improvements to key parts of our system such as digital infrastructure, estates and workforce planning
- business intelligence
- population health management
- digital strategies
- procurement
Buying decisions made by the Strategic Commissioning Team, using NHS funding, will be taken to the NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Board for consideration and approval as the statutory Board for the NHS.