Collaborate with clinicians

Lead continuous and meaningful engagement with clinicians to inform strategy and drive quality, service design and resource utilisation.

This competency focuses on using clinicians' skills to inform commissioning intentions and covers providing support for practice-based commissioning, developing networks and disseminating information.

Putting commissioning into practice: Implementing practice-based commissioning through good financial management (Audit Commission 2007)
This study concludes that sense of ownership is key to implementing practice-based commissioning, with greater clinician engagement by PCTs, which could help increase cost-effective alternative services in primary and community settings.

A prescription for partnership: Engaging clinicians in financial management (Audit Commission 2007)
This report explores the impact of involving clinicians in commissioning negotiations, linking budgets to health outcomes and decisions on investment in services. It highlights issues such as accountability and differences in culture and values.

Commissioning for patient pathways: A practical guide to achieving and sustaining 18 weeks (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2007)
This guide sets out steps to pathway-based commissioning, identifying key actions across macro-level functions and enabling commissioners to develop their own work programme depending upon current needs and local context.

The no delays achiever: A commissioner's guide (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2007)
This explains how the no delays achiever online tool uses national data returns to analyse and interpret patient journeys and help commissioners decide priorities for service redesign and shape the structure of supply.

Networks readiness tool (CSIP)
This helps assess the readiness of local systems to develop a network approach to service delivery. It is important to clarify what is meant by a 'network', how this will differ from traditional models and why it might be a useful approach to develop.

Framing the contribution of allied health professionals (Department of Health 2008)

This looks at how allied health professionals should engage with commissioners to share understanding of local population needs and explore commissioning to enable greater self-referral to services and improve patient experiences.