Drug Action Teams
Joint commissioning
What is joint commissioning?
Commissioning and purchasing are different processes and in many areas they will operate with little or no reference to each other.
Definitions of the terms -commissioning- and -purchasing- vary. The Substance Misuse Advisory Service Commissioning Standards document (HAS 2000, 1999) refers to the definitions provided by Department of Health reports on joint commissioning (1995) as follows:
Commissioning: the strategic activity of assessing needs, resources, and current services, and developing a strategy to make best use of available resources to meet identified needs.
Purchasing: the operational activity set within the context of commissioning, of applying resources to buy services in order to meet needs, either at a macro/population level or at a micro/individual level.
Joint commissioning: the process in which two or more commissioning agents act together to co-ordinate their commissioning, taking joint responsibility for the translation of strategy into action.
Joint purchasing: describes a situation where two or more agencies co-ordinate the actual buying of services, generally within the context of joint commissioning.
Other sources have identified some responsibilities in commissioning, which can be helpful in defining the terms of reference of a joint commissioning group or other structure. These include:
- working in partnership with others
- developing and gaining commitment to strategies
- achieving local change
- purchasing services
- providing support and development
(NHS Confederation, 1997)
- understanding and ensuring compliance with national and regional policies and priorities
- providing expert input
- quality assurance
- needs assessment
- leadership
(Villeneau et al, 1998)
- needs assessment
- strategic planning
- contract setting and market management
- contract monitoring
(Modernising Social Services, DoH, 1998)
If you are considering joint commissioning against the National Drugs Strategy, it' important to bear in mind that recent discussion and publication has focused on the provision of treatment and social care services. However, there are many benefits to adopting a wider brief, which promotes and develops this approach in other areas, even those traditionally less associated with multi-agency commissioning.
