Practical Commissioning's Jargon Buster explains the meaning of the term 'Joint commissioning'.
Joint commissioning refers to NHS and local authorities putting their cash together to buy services.
To date, such commissioning partnerships have usually been between PCTs and local authorities rather than with, or driven by, PBC consortiums. This is because there are strategic arrangements in place for PCTs and LAs to work together – through, for example, joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) and local joint planning such as Children and Young People Partnership Boards.
The Government white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say raised the prospect of more use of pooled budgets by PBC groups working with their PCT and LAs. This built upon the notion that GPs are on the ground and in touch with patient needs so would be best placed to work with local authorities to build better services for the populations they serve.
