This document discusses Neurological Commissioning Support (NCS), a partnership between neurological charities that aims to empower charities and enable them to become trusted partners in the healthcare commissioning process. NCS provides consultancy services to health and social care commissioners, helping them design and redesign neurological services from a patient perspective. Case studies are presented showing how NCS has worked with commissioners in Cornwall and Surrey to map services, identify gaps, and prompt service improvements through data analysis and input from patients and professionals. Tools that NCS and voluntary organizations can provide to commissioners are also outlined.

1. Empowering and enabling charities to
become trusted partners in the
commissioning process
Charlie Peel
Project Manager
Affiliate:

2. Neurological Commissioning
Support
• A unique partnership of three neurological organisations:
a broad commitment to effective commissioning
– MS Society
– Parkinson’s UK
– MND Association
• Work extends to other conditions
– 2011 - affiliate partnership with Epilepsy Society
– Ad hoc partnership work in locality projects
• A consultancy service to health and social care
• Wide expertise – customise services and transfer
‘solutions’

3. Neurological Commissioning
Support
• Enabling commissioners to have access to core resources
for neurology commissioning
• Empowering professionals, volunteers and service users at
a local level to work together for the benefit of the
neurological community
• Promoting cross-sector working and partnerships
• Highlighting areas where service
improvement and efficiencies could be made
• Redesigning services for better quality and
value BUT from a service user perspective

4. NCS…
– Reactive – as consultancy to commissioners
wanting help to redesign neurology services
– Proactive in areas of poor performance
providing solutions for engagement with
commissioners
– Demonstrating innovation with DH IESD
grants

5. Discussion
• What do you think of when someone says
‘commissioning’?
• Is it a familiar concept to your organisation, or not?
• What, if anything, have
you done within service
development, influencing
or commissioning in the past?
• Do you feel ‘up to speed’ with
the changes in health and social
care commissioning?

6. We help commissioners through
the maze of commissioning
neurology services

7. What we provide
• Time limited consultancy • Service redesign that
for H&SC commissioners might include de-
• JSNA with local public commissioning
health department • Unbundling neurology
• Mapping, audit and gap spend
analysis based on user • Project management to
opinion facilitate change
• Interpretation of findings • All from a service user
• Mining data and perspective
interpretation of finding

8. Case study: Cornwall
Un-united States of Care Can-do Island
From this To this

9. Case study: Cornwall
Gaining understanding: Inputted into by:
• QN audit of services • CAN-DO local service user group
• Examination of data • Health and social care
• Unbundling of spend professionals
• Local and national voluntary sector
• Existing evidence of service
efficacy
Resulting in:
• Educational events – at Prompting further
capacity investigation:
• Design and rollout of info • Use of telehealth for neuro
booklet patients
• Appointment of 2 x Neuro care • In-depth NICE audit for epilepsy
advisors • ‘Get it on Time’ audit for
• Jointly commissioned service Parkinson’s re medication
for Huntington’s management in acute
• Targeted exercise programmes
• Neuro hub on Isles of Scilly

10. Case study: Surrey
Gaining understanding:
• QN audit of services
• Examination of data
• Unbundling of spend
Prompting further investigation:
• Identification of ‘complex’ patients and
using telehealth
Resulting in: • In-depth NICE audits for Parkinson’s
• Development of JSNA for and epilepsy
neurology
• Design of integrated plans for
people living with MND JSNA sets out:
• Level of need juxtaposed with available services
• Evidence base – what works and what doesn’t
• Areas of unmet need
• At risk groups within demographic
• Key recommendations for further investigation
• Key recommendations for commissioning

11. The tools
of our trade…

12. Voluntary sector innovation
• Headway Cornwall set up a rehabilitation programme dramatically
aiding recovery
• Diabetes UK have produced an simple app to help people log levels
of blood glucose, carbohydrates and calories
• The James Parkinson Centre in Cornwall is enabling self care and
better access to information
• Voluntary organisation Gloucestershire Neurological Alliance
created a booklet that captures all local neurology service
information in one place
• An intervention from Epilepsy Society has significantly reduced
seizure rates.
• The PSP Association have researched and created a care pathway,
guide and educational material for PSP and are rolling out a
masterclass to improve professional understanding

13. Voluntary sector innovation
• The Mental Health Strategic Partnership, a collaboration of a
number of mental health charities has produced a series of leaflets
for the different bodies involved in localised commissioning:
‘No Health without Mental Health’
There are leaflets for each of the
following:
• Clinical Commissioning Groups
• Directors of Public Health
• Health and Wellbeing Boards
• Local Authorities
• Local Healthwatch
• Overview and Scrutiny Committees

14. VSCS programme
• Voluntary sector has so much experience and expertise
currently untapped
– Not used effectively in health and social care commissioning in
the past
– Shift towards localised commissioning provides real opportunity
to change that
• NCS historically worked ad hoc with individual charities
• VSCS programme designed to provide (individual/partnering)
charities
– Mentoring and shadowing
– Support and training
– Resources and guidance on tool creation
– Professional links and opportunities

15. VSCS projects
Individual charities:
Groups of charities:
• The Rheumatology Commissioning Support Alliance
• The Spinal Injuries Coalition

16. Why do it?
• People affected by a given condition are the true
experts
• Giving service users choice and control over their own
treatments and consulting them in decision-making
leads to improved outcomes and greater service
efficiency
• Charities are:
– one of the strongest vehicles to service user
involvement
– Repositories of qualitative data, best practice
evidence and innovative ideas

17. So what do you have to offer?
• What are the different groups/bodies you could engage with
• How could you engage with them – what do you have to
offer?
• Are there other voluntary sector agencies
you could partner with to increase your
influence – either in a formal or informal
arrangement?
• Do you have a ‘commissioning toolkit’
or tools which could be geared towards
commissioners?
What will be your first step into commissioning?

18. Thank you
charlie.peel@csupport.org.uk 07803 504125
For more information on the VSCS programme, and to access our
resources visit www.ncssupport.org.uk
Affiliate: