Presented by Nark Allman and Maria Reader at the event 'Commissioning for Culture and Sport, 5th December 2014'. Addresses the cCLOA/Sport England commissioning project. Event details: http://knowhownonprofit.org/events/commissioning-for-culture-and-sport-5th-december-2014 Part of the Cultural Commissioning Programme: http://www.ncvo.org.uk/cultural-commissioning-programme

1. Commissioning support for local
authority sport and physical
activity services
5 December 2014

2. Aim of this session
• To understand the context in which the
cCLOA/Sport England commissioning project
was undertaken
• Outline the process and activity undertaken
• Share the learning from the mapping stage

3. The commissioning cycle
Priorities
Needs
Resources
Users
communities
Delivery
options
Procurement
Review
Monitoring
Delivery
Review Analyse
PlanDo

4. Commissioning is
… the strategic activity of identifying needs and allocating resources to best meet
that need, within available means.
Commissioning combines
… effectiveness with efficiency – the best possible outcomes within the resources
available.
It is not
…the same as purchasing – which is the process of securing or buying services.
…or as contracting which is the means by which that process is made legally
binding.
These are commonly referred to as procurement – a small though very
important, component of commissioning.
What is commissioning?

5. Observations: how is the sport sector
responding to commissioning?
• Overall slow to understand and engage in
commissioning– results are patchy
• More focus on procuring efficient sport &
leisure service than the service being
commissioned by others
• Austerity and health/social care reform offer
huge opportunities for the sector to be part of
wider service transformation
• There are huge risks if commissioning is seen as
“a dash for cash” rather than delivering shared
outcomes

6. The commissioning cycle
Priorities
Needs
Resources
Users
communities
Delivery
options
Procurement
Review
Monitoring
Delivery
Review Analyse
PlanDo
Sector
mainly
found
here

7. Project Aims/Objectives
• Increase understanding of the commissioning
agenda
• Improve the ability of the sector to engage as a
strategic partner
– building relationships with commissioners
– helping identify how the service can hone its
offer
• Share the learning

8. The commissioning cycle
Priorities
Needs
Resources
Users
communities
Delivery
options
Procurement
Review
Monitoring
Delivery
Review Analyse
PlanDo
Sector
mainly
found
here
Sector
needs to be
seen here

9. The process
Scoping
• Diagnostic assessment of current baseline in terms of
commissioning relationships, existing contracts, partnerships
and strategic positioning
• Assessment of the current situation within the sport and
leisure sector in the local area – delivery mechanisms,
awareness, capacity, strengths and weaknesses, track record,
change and prospects
• Identification of key players and who to work with and plan
programme
Mapping
• Desk research
• Interviews with senior commissioner and cabinet
• The mapping document

10. Observations – the commissioners
Need to offer
solutions that
have a much
wider reach –
industrial scale
The leisure centre model is
too constraining – promoting
physical activity to deliver
health improvement and
prevention is not necessarily
asset based.
Need to quality
assure the offer Need to offer
innovation and
be innovative

11. Advice – the commissioners
Come and talk to us – show us
what can be done and make a
difference

12. The process
Awareness raising with the team
• Understanding commissioning and the local picture
• Preparing an outcomes framework
• The opportunities and implications
Follow –up with commissioners
• To explore issues further
• Build relationships
• Identify actions
Review and plan
• Action Plan
• Case study
• Final report and lessons learned

13. • Actions plans finalised
• Case studies
• Evaluation report – early next year
• Dissemination of learning
Project next steps

14. Overview
• Commissioning work
undertaken to date, some
learning
• Some examples of what is
working where traction
achieved

15. Building on existing guides
produced by cCLOA
-Adult social care
-Crime and anti social
behaviour
Developed through wide
stakeholder engagement
across sport and cultural
sectors

16. Commissioning Work: Sport and Active
Lifestyles and contribution to Health
outcomes
•West Yorkshire pilot
•National pilot
•Leeds perspective

17. Trying to work smarter with Health
locally
• Making links with Health and Well-being Boards
• Working with CCGs
• Working with Leisure Operators
• Understand how funding is allocated
• Lifestyle and behaviour change approaches
• Skilled and talented workforces
• Improve positioning through better data and
championing

18. West Yorkshire: The need for transformation
‘If an older person has difficulty getting out of their chair, the response
is to see if they need chair raisers to help them. Increasing physical
activity or increasing the motivation to move would not be part of their
care pathway’.
‘Our council has very high rates of sickness absence – double that of
our neighbouring authority. Addressing this focuses on the tools and
systems of sickness absence monitoring rather than looking at
promoting health and wellbeing in our workforce. We need to look at
things differently’.
‘Physical activity doesn’t feature in the council. The Dementia Strategy
doesn’t mention physical activity. The Health and Wellbeing strategy
didn’t include physical activity’.

19. ‘ Whilst there is a willingness to address smoking
prevalence and drug and alcohol abuse, the prevailing
view is that exercise and physical activity are matters
of personal choice and the culture is that councillors
and managers don’t want to talk about it’.
‘There is no collective vision or ambition around this
issue - just a few lone voices’.
‘Physical activity is part of the solution to so many
conditions. Exercise is better than any medication’.

20. West Yorkshire: Findings
• Unlimited opportunities
• Low awareness of the sport and physical activity
offer – and limited contact outside public health
• Limited understanding of the benefits in medical,
social and economic terms
• Increasing concern about the costs of inactivity –
nationally
• We are not seen as part of transformation

21. cCLOA/Sport England pilots
Interim Observations and Learning
Opportunities
• The importance and value of physical activity is now better
understood and accepted by the health and social care
commissioners “physical activity is a win-win”
• Prevention is gradually gaining traction because of the long
term costs of health and social care
• Mental health is a growing issue for commissioners
• Better Care Fund, Integration Transformation Fund and
personalisation are driving innovation and new ways of
working
• Workforce programme, worklessness, re-enablement,
improved parenting, healthy children and drug and alcohol
rehabilitation are just some of the opportunities mentioned
by commissioners

22. Attributable fractions (%) for all-cause deaths in 40 842 (3333 deaths)
men and 12 943 (491 deaths) women in the Aerobics Center
Longitudinal Study.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
AttributableFraction%
Axis Title
The main health risks in a population
Men Women
Blair S N Br J Sports Med 2009;43:1-2

23. Attributable fractions (%) for all-cause deaths in 40 842 (3333 deaths)
men and 12 943 (491 deaths) women in the Aerobics Center
Longitudinal Study.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
AttributableFraction%
Axis Title
Low Cardio-respiratory Fitness is the most
Men Women
Blair S N Br J Sports Med 2009;43:1-2

24. We know that inactivity is a key issue

25. cCLOA/Sport England pilots
Interim Observations and Learning
Opportunities
• The importance and value of physical activity is now better
understood and accepted by the health and social care
commissioners “physical activity is a win-win”
• Prevention is gradually gaining traction because of the long
term costs of health and social care
• Mental health is a growing issue for commissioners
• Better Care Fund, Integration Transformation Fund and
personalisation are driving innovation and new ways of
working
• Workforce programme, worklessness, re-enablement,
improved parenting, healthy children and drug and alcohol
rehabilitation are just some of the opportunities mentioned
by commissioners

26. cCLOA/Sport England pilots
Interim Observations and Learning
Challenges and barriers
• Sector is seen as a provider not a strategic player and
lacks visibility and connectivity with commissioners
• Sector seen as income focused, facility focused,
more interested in getting the active more active
than the inactive active & traditional in its service
offers
• Still major data gaps in terms of evidencing impact
and value for money nationally and locally
• Providers not commissioner ready – fragmented,
independent quality assurance
• Perception that “sport” is exclusive and not relevant
to those in greatest need

27. Leeds Perspective
• Current work with health and social care
• Commissioning brief focus

28. Engaging with Health and
Well-being: Leeds City
Council
• Political support for
culture and Sport
• Budget cuts
presenting
opportunities as
well as major
challenges
• Relationship
building
• Contributions include;
– Service integration/Adult social
care
– Older people
– Reminiscence
– Cardiac rehab
– School sport and healthy
schools
– Public health spend uplift

29. Culture and Sport contribution to
Health and Well-being
Day Care Integration

30. “I just wanted to feedback a really positive story regarding
the gym cards. We have a client who has been on an ATR
and in and out of alcohol treatment for many years. He feels
that the Gym card has been the single most helpful thing to
help him stop drinking and stay stopped in all that time.
He has a history of mental health problems and feels that
he is really aware of how exercise can improve his mental
health now and has found it better than any mental health
treatment. Since getting a gym card he has been going
daily and has benefited and now intends to keep accessing
the gym through Leeds Lets Get Active”
Service Manager
ADS Leeds

31. Leeds Perspective
• Focus of future brief
– CCG interface
– Locality dimension
– Mental health

32. Learning points
• Understand the landscape and the commissioners needs
• Learn a new language ( and teach yours)
• Better understand the difference between client/user demands and
client/user needs
• Be more visible in strategic discussions –influence and be influenced
• Win hearts and minds, but you still need evidence
• Innovate and articulate offers that meet need
• Independently quality assure your service
• Build the capacity and capability to deliver
• If looking at health - public health now accountable politically- service
alignment opportunities; consider Long term conditions focus; don’t
think just public health: CCG critical
• Use the toolkit- it does help