Can strategic commissioning really make a difference?

Strategic commissioning must be more than a cosmetic rebrand: it needs to be a catalyst for system-wide improvement. Done well, it can tackle entrenched challenges and accelerate progress on the government’s three shifts, creating the conditions for providers to deliver better outcomes, improved access, and greater value for patients. 

One of the biggest tests will be improving the interface between primary and secondary care. This is essential to deliver the shift from hospital to community and create the ‘neighbourhood health service’. Today, patients often experience disjointed communication, delayed referrals, and the frustration of being 'bounced' between services. These pain points have been around for years. 

To solve them, ICBs will need a new approach, one that brings partners together, commissions services across organisational boundaries, agrees shared outcomes, and creates incentives that make collaboration the norm. For patients, this means smoother journeys through care, fewer delays, and better outcomes.