This document discusses commissioning in Plymouth and how cultural organizations can help deliver health and social care outcomes. It provides examples of how Plymouth libraries and museums have partnered with commissioners to provide activities for residents with dementia. Through pilots like Arts and Minds, cultural organizations have demonstrated improvements in cognition and quality of life for participants and carers. The document encourages other cultural groups to explore how they can partner with local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to help achieve commissioning priorities and strategies.

1. Plymouth Integrated
Commissioning

2. Commissioning
Commissioning is defined as:“the full set of activities that
local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups undertake
to make sure that services meet the health and social care needs
of individuals and communities”
Commissioners do ‘buy’ services but also involved in ‘place
shaping’
Commissioners include:
Local Authorities – social care (adults and childrens), public health (health
promotion and prevention) housing, economic development
CCGs – health services
Police and Crime Commissioners – social justice, crime reduction and
prevention

3. Co-operative/whole systems
Commissioning
Plymouth City Council is a Co-operative Council - co-operative
commissioning is a new approach to planning and delivering
public services which means building trust, building capacity and
co-producing solutions
Whole systems commissioning :
The various elements of support and services are part of one whole
‘system’
System includes both contracted and non-contracted agencies
Aim to agree shared outcomes across the system
Enables better use of all available resources
Includes the assets and resources of individuals and communities
Commissioning Cycle: Analyse, Plan, Do, Review

4. Sources of information about what
commissioners will buy
 National health and social care outcomes frameworks
 NHS 5 year forward view
 Local Authority and CCG Strategic plans E.g.:
 Health andWellbeing Strategy
 Dementia Strategy
 Carer Strategy
 Mental Health strategy
 Social Care ‘Market Position’ Statements
 Commissioning Plans/ Commissioning intentions

5. Cultural Commissioning links to
health and social care outcomes
 Director took an overview of services that could deliver shared outcomes
 Libraries commissioned to deliver ‘health zones’
 Libraries are experts in information provision and can contribute to the
following health and social care outcomes:
 Care Act 2014 duty to provide information on social care system
 Improving self-directed support
 Reducing health inequalities
 Improvement programme for long-term conditions
 Carers and dementia priorities
 Financial savings from reducing service provision
 Libraries benefit from being able to deliver improved services
 More efficient use of council buildings and staff

6. Plymouth Strategy: Outcomes for
people with dementia
 Involving people with dementia in agreeing the outcomes – they want to
continue with the things they used to do
 Taking a strategic approach looking at all the determinants of health and
wellbeing – Dementia Friendly City umbrella driving change
 Strategy includes an outcome ‘increased access to arts, culture and leisure’,
actions are:
 Arts and Minds pilot
 Reader group for people with dementia
 Reminiscence and other library based activities
 Leisure contracts to include people with dementia
 Increase number of arts, culture and leisure providers on our ‘Day Opportunities
Framework’
 Commission Alzheimer’s Society to support people into mainstream activity

7. Commissioning Arts and Heritage
 Arts and Heritage experience of 9 years successful reminiscence
work in care homes but wanting to include people in the
community
 Failed Arts Council bid led to scaled down pilot
 8 people and 8 carers over 52 weeks
 Workshops designed to use Museum collections to spark ideas
 Specialist training for arts facilitators
 Fine arts/painting/ceramics/dance/drama
 Cognitive functioning test at start, middle and end
 Carers questionnaire
 Demonstrated real improvements in quality of life and cognition

8. Market development for arts and
culture
 What do people with dementia want? Many have
interest in arts and culture
 Plymouth Dementia Friendly City sparked huge
interest in focussing on dementia:
 Dementia Friendly Arts Centre film showings
 Arts groups set up
 Plymouth Marine Aquarium action plan
 Leisure centres exploring provision
 Grant funding/partnership working to try pilots

9. Arts and Minds feedback
 Now there is something to live for
 This has been my saviour
 Mum has been talking about the… hats and the portraits they drew all
weekend
 Thank you so much..we loved the first session..mum even rang me last
night to say how much she enjoyed it which is something she never
normally does
 We are having such a lovely time here, it is really doing us so much
good
 Dad’s been remembering more and talking about looking forward to
the group. I am so happy.
 Mum is having such a wonderful time here, it’s really made her life so
much happier and she loves art.

10. Summary
 Look up your Authority or CCG Commissioning Plans/Market
Position Statement
 Check out Health and Social Care Strategies and Action Plans
 Can you deliver any outcomes
 Find an evidence base or examples of good practice
 How do your commissioners engage with communities during
the commissioning process?
 Finding an initial funding source or making a joint bid with
commissioners will help
 Contact a commissioner!

11. Arts and Minds

12. Contact Details