Commissioning Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities:Joint Improvement Team, Scottish Government

Improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities is one of the areas targeted by the work of the Joint Improvement Team. Delivering good outcomes in the form of effective, responsive partnership services to users and carers is a key objective. Involving users and carers as much as possible in the planning and delivery of outcomes that matter to them has been incorporated in a programme called Talking Points: A Personal Outcomes Approach. You will find more information about this approach on the JIT website at http://www.jitscotland.org.uk/action-areas/talking-points-user-and-carer-involvement/background-1/ The process of commissioning and decommissioning services and contract monitoring is complex. Creative and innovative approaches are needed, especially when there is competition for resources and a need to ensure that outcomes based commissioning is strengthened. Commissioners and practitioners across health and social care are tasked with developing and ensuring best quality locality and individually commissioned services, both for current and future need. Social work and health partnerships have responsibilities for joint commissioning strategies for all community care groups, not just people with learning disabilities. By definition, a well-planned commissioned service is one that has the support of partners, providers and people who use services. The impact of the Self Directed Support strategy is likely to see greater emphasis on the nature of arrangements in how individuals and family carers develop their own support networks through co-production of support plans, and the nature of outcome focussed service provision, and provider relationships. Individually commissioned services should be seen therefore in the context of strategic commissioning and the need for best value.