Outcomes Matter: Effective commissioning in domiciliary care
The concept of outcome-based commissioning has been a feature of the adult social care landscape for some time, as a method of delivering personalised services based on need. A recent LGiU survey has shown that over 70% of local government respondents regard outcomebased commissioning as ‘very important’ to the future of adult social care.
But what do we mean by commissioning? The renewed interest in in-house provision shown by some local authorities could be held to imply a move away from standard commissioning models. We would argue however that ‘commissioning’ describes the strategic process of designing services and choosing delivery agents, rather than proscribing a particular form of provision. As such, it remains intrinsic to the system, irrespective of the choice of service provider. Most definitions describe a cyclical process, where possible involving carers, care workers and service users through consultation and coproduction, and including the following steps:
- assessing the needs of a population
- setting service priorities and goals
- securing services from providers to meet those needs
- monitoring and evaluating outcomes.
Published : 30th October 2012
Author : Lauren Lucas and Jonathan Carr-West, [ More From This Author ]
Publisher : Local Government Information Unit [ More From This Publisher ]
Rights : Local Government Information Unit
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