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Strategic commissioning for ICBs

Helping ICBs, lead providers and collaboratives turn strategic commissioning into measurable improvements

Strategic commissioning is rapidly becoming one of the most important functions within Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and wider health and care systems. NHS England's future model places increasing emphasis on strategic commissioners improving outcomes, reducing inequalities, stewarding finite resources, shaping markets and enabling system-wide change. The challenge is not simply understanding strategic commissioning. It is developing the confidence, capability and practical skills required to deliver it.

At NHS Elect, we can support you to translate strategic ambition into practical action. Whether you are developing a neighbourhood model, building provider collaboratives, shaping local markets, prioritising population cohorts or exploring new commissioning arrangements, our focus is on helping systems create measurable improvement and better outcomes.

Take a look at our offers and how we can support you below.

 

Image of a staff member writing 'Leadership Skills' on a whiteboard.

Strategic Commissioning Practitioner Programme

Our flagship programme for Band 8s, 8Ds, 9s and aspiring executive leaders. Participants work on a live strategic commissioning challenge from their own organisation while developing the skills, confidence and influence needed to drive change across systems.

Through the programme, participants will:

  • Develop practical strategic commissioning expertise, including population health, prioritisation and strategic decision-making.
  • Strengthen their ability to influence and lead across systems, with a focus on provider collaboration, market shaping and systems leadership.
  • Create a strategic commissioning proposition and implementation plan to address a real organisational challenge, supported by peer learning and an ongoing network.

Find out more about the programme

 

Strategic Commissioning Community

We believe strategic commissioning capability is built through learning, application and peer challenge. Our community brings together strategic commissioners, system leaders, providers and policy experts to share ideas, experience and emerging practice.

Community members can:

  • Learn from leading voices in strategic commissioning through regular webinars, expert speakers and shared discussion.
  • Stay ahead of policy and practice developments with expert briefings, updates and emerging insights.
  • Apply learning in practice through case studies, implementation examples and peer-led communities of practice.


Become a member today

 

Consultancy

Many systems understand the challenges they face. Far fewer know where to start.

NHS Elect provides strategic commissioning consultancy and facilitation support to help systems:

  • Define the right populations and priorities
  • Assess commissioning maturity
  • Develop population-based commissioning approaches
  • Design neighbourhood and delivery models
  • Build provider capability
  • Develop strategic collaboratives
  • Support implementation and improvement

Our consultancy approach is rooted in practical application and capability building rather than dependency.

Contact us to discuss your needs

 

How we can support you

ICB Strategic Commissioning Capability Reviews

Strategic commissioning is increasingly becoming a core ICB capability.

We support ICBs to understand:

  • Current strategic commissioning maturity
  • Leadership capability
  • Organisational readiness
  • Population health capability
  • Partnership effectiveness
  • Provider readiness
  • Data and analytical capability
  • Future development priorities

These reviews provide a clear baseline and roadmap for development.

Board Development and Executive Team Support

Strategic commissioning is ultimately an executive leadership challenge.

We work with Boards, Executive Teams and Senior Leadership Teams to support:

  • Strategic commissioning maturity
  • Executive alignment
  • Prioritisation and trade-offs
  • Population-based decision making
  • Strategic collaboratives
  • System leadership
  • Future operating models

Our experience demonstrates that successful strategic commissioning depends as much on leadership, culture and behaviours as it does on frameworks and processes.

Why NHS Elect?

For more than 20 years, NHS Elect has worked with NHS organisations to improve outcomes, develop leaders and deliver system-wide change. Last year alone, more than 70,000 NHS colleagues took part in our learning events, programmes and collaboratives.

Our approach combines:

  • Thought leadership with practical application so learning can be applied directly to real commissioning challenges.
  • Capability development and peer learning through shared experience, collaboration and expert insight.
  • Implementation support focused on impact helping leaders turn strategy into action and deliver better outcomes.

Because strategic commissioning is not about understanding more. It's about knowing where to focus, making difficult choices and creating the conditions for better outcomes.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss strategic commissioning support for your organisation or become a member, please contact us to find out more.

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020 3925 4851
info@elect.nhs.uk
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