There’s a clear direction of travel across health and care. The NHS England “Fit for the Future” work makes it explicit: New population-based delivery models are coming — and they’ll be expected.
It means a shift towards:
▪️ Working across organisational boundaries
▪️ Thinking in terms of populations, not services
▪️ Aligning multiple partners around shared outcomes
All of that makes sense... Until you try to do it!
In practice, it changes the nature of the work.
▪️ Less control and more influence
▪️ Less certainty and more complexity
❗ Here’s the uncomfortable bit: most people haven’t been supported to work in this way.
? Over the past few months, I’ve been exploring this with Sandra Buchan MBA Chartered FCIPD CPBP FIoL from Culture & Engagement Experts Ltd.
Something keeps coming up in our conversations:
This isn’t just about “commissioners" anymore. As providers and integrated health organisations take on greater responsibility for populations, commissioning becomes a system capability, not a role.
? Developing a strategic commissioning mindset isn’t just about frameworks. It is about how you think, how you lead, and how you operate across complexity. And that’s where many people are currently least supported.
? Keep an eye on our feeds… we have something exciting on the horizon!
