Commissioning is now a key task for health and social care - and yet policy aspirations often outstrip the infrastructure needed to support commissioners as they take difficult decisions about future services and to make commissioning a career of choice for future leaders. While commissioning was important under New Labour, it seems set to be even more fundamental now as commissioners think about future services in an era of austerity. Against this background, this is the first comprehensive text on a key area of management practice , exploring what commissioning is, where it has come from and where it might be taking us. With a wide range of leading contributors from fields including health care, social care, local government , the book takes students, practitioners and managers through key stages of the commissioning cycle as well as addressing cross-cutting themes such as the economics of commissioning, user involvement and commissioning in an era of personalisation. It is essential reading for everyone involved in the planning and delivery of health and social care - for social policy students, health and social care practitioners, managers and policy makers alike.

This new text supports commissioners in translating current aspirations for public mental and physical health into tangible commissioning strategies. At a time when there are major changes in commissioning arrangements, this book provides a carefully structured and comprehensive look at the resources designed to improve population health and wellbeing outcomes. It examines critically how these resources, both human and financial, can be used in practice, focusing on health and wellbeing as well as illness. The book takes a life-course approach and examines commissioning for children, working-age adults and older people. It will be valuable reading for those taking postgraduate courses in commissioning and leadership and management in a healthcare context, as well as broad courses on public health and health promotion. Chris Heginbotham OBE FRSPH is Visiting Professor at the University of Cumbria and Emeritus Professor of Mental Health Policy and Management at the University of Central Lancashire. Karen Newbigging is a Senior Lecturer in the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham and is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

In UK government, commissioners perform the vital task of ensuring that health and social care services meet the needs of the people who use them. Essential for everyone involved in the planning and delivery of these services, this book comprehensively explores what commissioning is, its past, and its future. A wide range of leading contributors from fields including health care, social care, and local government takes readers through the key stages of the commissioning cycle and addresses such interrelated themes as the economics of commissioning, user involvement, and commissioning in an era of personalization.

Are you a health and social care commissioner navigating the ever-changing commissioning landscape? With challenges such as limited funding, changing demands and global pandemics, we need to be clear on why, what and how we commission effectively. This book offers you a warm welcome into the often-complex world of healthcare commissioning. Amanda J. Hughes shares personal insights from her commissioning career and practical guidance that will demystify the commissioning cycle and ease the journey as you strive to achieve the best outcomes for the population. This book will help you to ensure valuable resources are directed to those with most need, that care is fair and accessible and that the solutions you put into place are sustainable for the longer term.

Health and social care commissioning is a values-driven as well as evidence-driven enterprise. However, whereas there has been an expectation that the evidence-base of commissioning should be made fully explicit, the corresponding values-base has been left largely implicit. The book addresses this subject through a detailed discussion of values and values-based practice, illustrated with case examples, and by developing a critique of existing commissioning. This approach enables commissioners to identify and make explicit the often diverse values of all those involved, whether as commissioners, providers or users of services. It provides a skills base and other support processes for working with differences in values held by all those engaged in making commissioning decisions. This will be essential reading for doctors, both experienced and in training, commissioning managers, professional staff in NHS Foundation Trusts and the private sector and all 'at the sharp' end of practice.

It is now widely acknowledged that there is more to health than just the absence of illness. This book aims to widen the perspective of health professionals to encompass the concept of well-being across the lifespan. It has been written to introduce students to the theory and practical application of health improvement and well-being in the context of public health, providing global as well as domestic perspectives on key concepts, in particular: Social and health inequalities Social justice Political influences Commissioning, funding and delivery of services Each chapter defines and provides an outline of theoretical perspectives relevant to each topic, allowing the reader to critically evaluate the accepted wisdom in each of the fields under discussion. Case studies illustrate local and global perspectives and questions throughout the book encourage students to think and reflect on the key points of each chapter and apply theory to practice. With a delicate blend of theory and practice, Health Improvement and Well-Being considers the key influences on health improvement and the best ways to tackle them as a health professional. This book is key reading for experienced and senior public health professionals as well as masters level students taking courses in public health, health improvement or health promotion, or taking modules in health improvement as part of a more general health science course. Contributors: Donna Hart, Moyra Baldwin, Janine Talley and Allison Thorpe. "A timely investigation of key factors that impact on well-being. Sets out the national and international policy context clearly and makes very good use of case studies and wider evidence to consider effectiveness of interventions. Thinking points and practical exercises encourage the student to apply knowledge to practice throughout." Paul Reid, Senior Lecturer, School of Health, University of Central Lancashire, UK "This book provides a comprehensive perspective on well-being within the context of health and health improvement both within this country and internationally. I would recommend this book as a key text for all students studying on the nursing, midwifery, social work and allied health profession courses. The chapters are structured well and provide a means for students to explore key concepts. The use of case studies helps the reader to appreciate the practical application of theoretical concepts and as such it brings alive the real issues within the practice setting. The structure and content is suitable for a wide range of academic levels and professional groups, making it a key text for health and social care professions." Patricia Livsey, Executive Dean, Faculty of Health and Human Sciences, Plymouth University, UK "This book would make an ideal resource for anyone working/managing in public health arenas" Quote from Nursing Times, February 2016

Are you a health and social care commissioner navigating the ever-changing commissioning landscape? With challenges such as limited funding, changing demands and global pandemics, we need to be clear on why, what and how we commission effectively. This book offers you a warm welcome into the often-complex world of healthcare commissioning. Amanda J. Hughes shares personal insights from her commissioning career and practical guidance that will demystify the commissioning cycle and ease the journey as you strive to achieve the best outcomes for the population. This book will help you to ensure valuable resources are directed to those with most need, that care is fair and accessible and that the solutions you put into place are sustainable for the longer term.