Evaluation of Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC)

Download a copy of the final report here - IPC final report (PDF , 2,226kb)

Download a copy of the first interim report here - IPC first interim report (PDF , 726kb).

Download a copy of the second interim report here - IPC second interim report (PDF , 620kb)

SPRU research team

• Kate Baxter
  
  

External collaborators

• Graham Thom, SQW (Principal investigator)
• Centre for Health Economics (CHE), University of York
• Bryson Purdon, Social Research (BPSR)
• Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
• Mott MacDonald

Project summary

The Department of Health has commissioned a summative evaluation of the Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC) programme. The evaluation will be carried out by a consortium led by SQW.

Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC) was launched in April 2015. It is a partnership between NHS England and the Local Government Association.

IPC is an approach to joining up health and social care, and other services where appropriate. The purpose is to enable people, with help from carers and families, to combine the resources available to them in order to control their care. This is achieved through personalised care planning and personal budgets. IPC also aims to support people to develop the skills and confidence needed to self-manage their care in partnership with carers, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, community capacity and peer support.

The programme is being tested out in 18 demonstrator areas in England where Local authorities and CCGs are working together with their providers and voluntary sector partners. The programme is planned to run until March 2018. It is focussed on four particular user groups:

• Children and young people with complex needs, including those eligible for education, health and care plans
• People with multiple long-term conditions, particularly older people with frailty
• People with learning disabilities with high support needs, including those who are in institutional settings or at risk of being placed in these settings
• People with significant mental health needs, such as those eligible for the Care Programme Approach (CPA), or those who use high levels of unplanned care.

The evaluation aims to identify key lessons about the effectiveness of IPC schemes, in particular how far improved outcomes occurred and what were the key drivers of any change. It will also consider how far the changes that do occur represent value for money. The evaluation will deploy a mixed-methods approach, including a light-touch process evaluation, impact and economic analysis and thematic case studies. Data will be collected from areas in collaboration with the local teams in each site.

Additional information