Strategic collaborative planning and commissioning guide

Health and care systems are increasingly working closer together, although the extent of collaboration often varies according to local circumstances and context. The introduction of statutory Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and the legacy of joined up working through the Better Care Fund and most recently over the 2 years of the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-22), has shifted the scale and pace of collaboration across many systems.

These developments prompted the Better Care Fund programme and Local Government Association to commission the Institute of Public Care to develop a guide, to support local systems to successfully deliver the integration of health, housing and social care in a way that supports person-centred care, sustainability and better outcomes for people and carers, a key Better Care Fund objective.

This guide provides an overview of 4 key enablers that support health and care systems to collaboratively plan and commission effective support, at a strategic level. The 4 key enablers are interdependent on each other, and all 4 will need to be achieved in order to put the best foot forward for strategic, collaborative planning and commissioning. Each key enabler is supported by high level, practical advice in the form of ‘principles’ and top tips.