The Commissioning Framework places people at the centre of commissioning, and aims to achieve equitable outcomes for everyone, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances. It is part of shifting the focus away from how things are done, and towards outcomes that will make a real difference for people experiencing mental health and/or addiction issues.

Commissioning frameworks set out an ideal approach to getting the best outcomes in the most efficient, effective and sustainable way.

The Commissioning Framework for Mental Health and Addiction was created as part of a specific action in Rising to the Challenge: The Mental Health and Addiction Service Development Plan 2012–2017. 

The Commissioning Framework is closely linked with the national Population Outcomes Framework (currently under development) and the measures and indicators that will allow us to understand how well we’re doing and respond to the question: ‘Is anyone better off?’ 

What's happened so far

The Ministry of Health published the Commissioning Framework consultation document in September 2015. The framework was co-designed with the sector, and there were many opportunities to give feedback — through national, regional and local consultation, workshops, forums, and by written submission. The majority of the responses supported the framework, saying that it was sensible and generally understood, and there was support for it to be applied more broadly. 

The consultation summary report is available from the downloads section of this page.

Update

The final Commissioning Framework is now available online.