Job Description

Job Title: Head of Joint Commissioning

Salary: Head of Service Band £78,221 - £86,155

Reporting to: Director of Adult and Community Services, Worcestershire County Council and the Director of Planning and Partnership, Worcestershire Primary Care Trust

Responsible for: Joint Commissioning and support staff for Adult Health and Social Care services

Main Purpose of Role:

This is a new senior joint PCT and Local Authority role with a clear remit to develop effective joint commissioning arrangements across the range of community based health and social care services. In this context the role is designed to establish the Adult Joint Commissioning Unit in conjunction with the PCT and Local Authority by providing executive leadership across the full range of its scope and function. The post holder will have dual accountability to the PCT and the County Council in order to ensure the delivery of national and local objectives set for the Joint Commissioning Unit. The post holder will be responsible for commissioning a comprehensive range of integrated high quality, responsive and efficient Health and Adult Social Care services for the Worcestershire population and for the development of an integrated commissioning, contracting and performance management framework. This framework will need to co-ordinate effectively with practice based commissioning and the broader commissioning agenda to ensure the delivery of high quality services across adult service pathways. The post holder will develop appropriate framework to support delivery of the commissioning agenda ensuring that the 8 steps in the commissioning framework are achieved. These are:

• Putting people at the centre of commissioning
• Understanding the needs of populations and individuals
• Sharing and using information more effectively
• Assuring high quality providers for all services
• Recognising the inter-dependence between work and health
• Developing incentives for commissioning for health and well being
• Developing local accountability
• Developing capability and leadership

The post holder will be responsible for developing and expanding the areas of service which will be jointly commissioned, although initially will be directly responsible for the commissioning, development and redesign of Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and some older People’s joint services. There is a clear commitment on behalf of both organisations for the scope of the JCU to expand and the postholder will play a crucial role in achieving this.

Main outcomes to be achieved:

Leadership

• To lead the development of evidence based strategic plans to deliver high value services across the service areas of the local Health and Social Care economy for which the post holder is responsible. This will include identifying priorities for the commissioning of services linked to health inequalities and developing a programme for implementation within the available financial resources
• To deliver effective strategic leadership to the Joint Commissioning Unit increasing its scope and ensuring that skills and abilities of staff are developed

Delivering Commissioning

• Responsible for delivering agreed targets across Health and Social Care identified in the Local Area Agreement, PCT Local Delivery Plan, Joint Operational Plan and as required by the Health Care Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection
• To lead and develop primary care and social care commissioning, to achieve the outcomes identified in Our Health, Our Care, Our Say
• Responsible for the development, consultation and approval of joint commissioning strategies for all adult services.
• Ensuring public and patient involvement in shaping commissioning priorities, for example working with consultative groups.
• Work with the Director of Public Health, Director of Adult and Community Services, local communities, the public professionals and partner organisations using health needs assessment, community intelligence and benchmarking information to determine local priorities for developing and transforming services, ensuring effective provision and real patient choice.
• To contribute to delivery of WCC competencies in relation to the joint commissioning agenda.
• Work with the Director of Public Health on the development and analysis of joint strategic needs assessment.
• Work with the Director of Clinical Development on care pathways design

Developing Commissioning

• To develop a transparent prioritisation methodology in collaboration with stakeholders and practice based commissioners taking into account national priorities, local targets and achieving financial balance to meet the Health and Social Care needs of Worcestershire residents.
• To lead the shaping of the structure of service supply working with neighbouring commissioners where appropriate. This will include robust capacity planning, shaping the provision of services with NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts, GP practices, Local Authority, independent and Voluntary and Community Sector providers to ensure effective service delivery.
• To lead the commissioning response to the development of personalised Health and Social Care services including individual budgets and increased Choice and Control for patients and service users. This will require a balance to be achieved between individual choice with the greater devolution of power to Foundation Trusts. The postholder will also be responsible for ensuring that Practice Based Commissioning is integrated into the development of personalisation.
• To improve Worcestershire’s approach to market development, allowing for greater contestability and choice in service provision.

Performance Management

• Work with the Director of Adult and Community Services and the PCT Director of Planning and Partnership to contribute to PCT and Council plans and key performance standards.
• To develop an integrated performance management monitoring and reporting framework for Health and Social Care.
• Lead performance review and evaluation of Health and Social Care services.

Financial Management

• Responsibility for effective financial management of the pooled commissioning budget (initially in the order of £155 million per annum) ensuring financial balance across commissioning priorities.
• To develop robust budget management arrangements across service areas ensuring that risk is minimised
• To develop an approach to financial efficiencies across jointly commissioned services

Procurement

• Develop the environment for entry of new providers in Worcestershire and develop and deliver a market development strategy for Health and Social Care that accommodates and promotes the change to self-directive support and individual budgets.
• Ensure the development of the procurement strategy for jointly commissioning services.
  Ensure effective contract procurement and management with outcomes-based contracting processes.

Other Duties:

• To maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job, participate in appropriate training activities and encourage and support staff in their development and training.
• To undertake such other duties, training and/or hours of work as may be reasonably required and which are consistent with the general level of responsibility of this job.
• To undertake health and safety duties commensurate with the post and/or as detailed in the Directorate’s Health and Safety Policy.

Contacts:

In all contacts the postholder will be required to present a good image of the Directorate, the County Council and PCT as well as maintaining constructive relationships.

Internal: 

• Elected members
• DMT
• Senior and Operational Service Managers
• PCT and Local Authority 
• Finance
• Information and Contracts Staff
• PCT Board
•  PEC

External:

• Commissioning staff from other Authorities
• Health, Housing and Community Safety staff from partner organisations
• Government departments
• GPs
• Iindependent providers, user and carer organisations

Notes:

The Council reserves the right to alter the content of this job description, after consultation to reflect changes to the job or services provided, without altering the general character or level of responsibility.

The duties described in this job description must be carried out in a manner which promotes equality of opportunity, dignity and due respect for all employees and service users and is consistent with the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

Date: September 2008