About commissioning

NHS Norfolk has been undergoing a period of significant organisational change and has recently restructured the way we commission services to better position the organisation to improve local health and health services and to be better prepared for the changes set out in the Health White Paper.

Over the past year Programme Boards have helped to focus the work of NHSN and have had a number of successes, but the need to move more resources and provide support to GP commissioners necessitated a move to a different way of working as part of this transition. As such, four Delivery Units replaced the Programme Boards from November 2010. These Units are:

1. Out of Hospital Care
2. West Norfolk
3. Central Norfolk
4. Mental Health

NHS Norfolk and Norfolk County Council have entered into an agreement to build on existing joint working, integrating the commissioning of all out of hospital, mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and social care commissioning.

These changes are consistent with the themes of the Health White Paper around putting patients first; improving healthcare outcomes; increasing autonomy; accountability; cutting bureaucracy and improving efficiency.