Principles of Commissioning Health Level 4

Course Overview

Understanding and delivering strategic commissioning in the NHS is a new national programme to understand and apply strategic commissioning for health commissioners.

Are you ready to undertake strategic commissioning in the new NHS restructure?

Drawing on our successful and popular Certificate in the Principles of Commissioning, IPC have created a tailor-made version designed for health commissioners who will be undertaking strategic commissioning as part of the changes to the NHS under the NHS Modernisation Act (2026).

This short programme will help you to:

  • Obtain an overview of commissioning using a commissioning cycle
  • Design, procure and evaluate population-focused services
  • Understand the basics of health economics, data/evidence-based needs assessment and outcomes-based commissioning/contracting
  • Develop skills in understanding and using capacity and demand tools
  • Explore shared challenges and develop practical, innovative solutions

Developed by IPC with experienced health commissioners, this programme supports both new commissioners and experienced commissioners who are new to strategic commissioning to understand and apply the new requirement to commission more strategically.

Booking and Cost

Across four on-line half days of learning:

  • 25th and 26th November 2026
  • 2nd and 3rd December 2026

To confirm a place, please complete the online booking form.

The programme fee is £525 per person.

If the courses are full and you would like to register your interest, please complete this form.

Please note our Cancellation and Non-Attendance Policy applies to all bookings.

Course Content and Format

Across four on-line half days of learning and reflection, based on the IPC commissioning cycle, the course will cover topics that set out the principles of strategic commissioning including:

  • Model ICB blueprint and 10-year plan for the NHS, the wider determinants of health and system collaboration
  • Population health, health economics and capacity and demand
  • Needs assessment and outcomes-based commissioning
  • Market shaping and procurement
  • Performance management and evaluation frameworks
  • Decommissioning

Accreditation

For those looking to gain formal recognition for their learning, the programme offers an optional accredited award from Oxford Brookes University, worth 10 CATS credits at Level 4.

To achieve this, you’ll need to attend additional support sessions and complete a work-based assessment, with an extra fee of £315 per person.

Earning this accredited award not only boosts your professional credentials but also significantly contributes to your Continuing Professional Development (CPD), giving you a competitive edge in your career.

Get in Touch

If this course is of interest to you, please contact the programme office on 01865 534093 or email ipc_courses@brookes.ac.uk for more information.

Sasha Carter,
Programme Administrator

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This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

To receive our newsletter & gain access to our publications, please add your details below and select areas of interest. If you've done this before, you will see this prompt if you've deleted or don't collect browser cookies, or it's been more than a year since you've visited this page.

We will always store your personal details securely. We will never sell your contact details to another organisation and never share your data with other organisations for marketing purposes. You can opt-out at any time.

Subject Areas of Interest
Marketing Permissions
Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Institute of Public Care:

By submitting this form, you agree to be contacted in relation to News, Resources, and Updates. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please view our Privacy Policy.

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