The North West Commissioning Roadmap supports commissioners of adult health and social care services in local authorities and health organisations.

The website was originally developed as a response to the previous government’s White Paper Our health, our care, our say and subsequent Commissioning framework for health and wellbeing, which focused on efficient and effective strategic commissioning as a vehicle for service improvement and delivery.

The website has always kept a ‘watching brief’ on national policy changes, ensuring that commissioners of adult health and social care services in local authorities and health organisations are up to date with how these impact on commissioning and service delivery; it will continue to do so under the current coalition government.

 
The site offers national studies of good practice as well as summaries of national guidance and comprehensive resources with links to other sources of information in regard to commissioning. It 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.