This website is aimed at commissioners of adult health and social care services in local authorities and health organisations.

It is a way of keeping up to date with Central Government reform and considering the impact and implications on the commissioning role, function and activities.  The website has two sections.

•    Commissioning practice - provides advice and guidance about commissioning, including health and social care personal budgets, GP based commissioning, strategic commissioning and outcome based approaches. This section offers commissioning models, tools, good practice guidance and materials, and signposts to other sources of help.

•    National themes and guidance - summarises key national guidance and policy direction that adult health and social care organisations need to implement, and signposts to other sources of help.  This section will be regularly updated to reflect the relevant changes to health and social care commissioning that occur as part of the Department of Health Draft Structural Reform Plan.

The Roadmap was developed in 2007 by the Institute of Public Care for ADASS North West, NHS North West, North West Joint Improvement Partnership, and the Regional Director of Public Health.  It has proved to be a useful resource for commissioners, keeping them up to date with regional, national policy and good practice. 

However, North West regional information is now hosted on the North West Joint Improvement Partnership (NWJIP) website, which details the NWJIP priorities for the region and contains both local and regional events, training materials, case studies and other resources.  

NWJIP will continue to actively support the North West Commissioning Roadmap as a useful resource of current information and updates on national policy and research for commissioners of adult health and social care services in local authorities and health organisations.

We hope that this site is an easy to use, easy to understand toolkit that all commissioners both now and in the future can adapt for their own use.