Commissioning Toolkit foreword

This toolkit aims to help you understand the commissioning process, the commissioning landscape and the associated language. The guidance is also intended to tell you about the role of commissioners and help you to think about what they want from support services at local level.

We will explore different types of commissioning contexts including local authority commissioning with a focus on adult social care and health, clinical commissioning groups including social prescribing and also individual level commissioning known as personalisation.

Finally, we will offer step-by-step guidance to help you plan your approach by identifying current commissioning priorities and processes and building relationships locally.

The emphasis is on contributing to better outcomes for individuals and communities, whilst acknowledging that engaging in commissioning can potentially contribute to the sustainability of the Reading Friends programme.