Our health and social care system faces sustained pressures in relation to funding, workforce and the rising burden of disease. We have a clear direction of travel set out in legislation and policy for an integrated health and social care system that supports people holistically, close to home and in a way that treats people and their carers as partners in decision making.

Within this context, the way that we commission plays an important role in cohesively bringing together provision from across the public, third and independent sectors to be able to meet people’s needs. The way we commission matters for providing safe and high quality services, reducing inequalities, being flexible and responsive to multiple and complex needs, and effectively implementing prevention and early intervention.

Good practice in commissioning across health and social care has been discussed and researched in many forms, with many different names, including more recently Ethical Commissioning. Feeley, amongst others, identified that there is still a large implementation gap between the policy direction of good commissioning/ethical commissioning and its consistent delivery at scale.

In December 2023, Healthcare Improvement Scotland commissioned two pieces of research in relation to Ethical Commissioning. The purpose of these research pieces was to inform our own work in relation to Ethical Commissioning. These research pieces explored ethical commissioning through a range of case studies to build knowledge around the realities of delivering ethical commissioning approaches on the ground.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland has considered the findings from the two research pieces alongside the insight we have from our own experience. From this, we have identified where it makes the greatest sense to invest our efforts in relation to Ethical Commissioning.

Access and download our report summarising the research findings and outlining our resulting areas of focus on Ethical Commissioning.

Access to the Transformational Change through Ethical Commissioning webinar.

Access and download the full report from Blake Stevenson on Ethical Commissioning

Access and download the full report from IRISS on Ethical Commissioning in Drugs and Alcohol.

Access to the Ethical Commissioning in Drugs and Alcohol webinar.

Contact us if you have any questions at his.transformationalsystemchange@nhs.scot