Adult Social Care Commissioning and Quality

Commissioning and Quality staff are deployed within the following areas:

• Commissioning (Community, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, Older People): working to facilitate a diverse, sustainable high-quality market for the whole population, including those who pay for their own care;
• Sourcing Care - The Sourcing Care Service plays a vital function in securing care packages for individuals identified as requiring it by operational colleagues. Care Act statutory guidance states that ‘high quality, personalized care and support can only be achieved where there is a vibrant, responsive market of services available’ and, to this end, the team works very closely with commissioning colleagues to identify unmet need and gaps in the market, and support sufficiency and efficiency;
• Provider Quality Assurance and contract management - The Care Act 2014 sets out the law around market development in adult social care. It enshrines in legislation duties and responsibilities for market-related issues for the local authority.  Section 48-56 ensures that no one goes without care if their provider’s business fails and their services cease.  It covers CQC market oversight, and LA duties for ensuring continuity of care in the event of provider failure and service cessation.  Consequently, the Quality Assurance Service works very closely in partnership with Commissioners of care provision, procurement colleagues, local providers themselves to ensure these duties are met;
• Policy, Performance and Assurance: Supporting data reporting, policy development, sector led-improvement and assurance activity;
• Safeguarding Adults Board: Statutory under the Care Act 2014.

Some of the procedures in the Universal section of tri.x may apply to practitioners. However, on the whole the procedures and processes for Adult Social Care Commissioning and Quality can be found in the Local Resources section or outside of this site.