Joint commissioning of services for elderly people

<p>Joint commissioning is relevant to services for elderly people, and this paper examines its feasibility. First, it lists some driving forces towards changes in the commissioning of elder care services. Then, it presents some example of initiatives in joint commissioning at different levels and between different partners. Finally, it discusses a critique by Bob Hudson (1995), re-examining its bearing on the question of joint commissioning services for elderly people. The paper concludes that, in theory, joint commissioning is compatible with other strategic approaches to collaborate purchasing, and, in the absence of empirical evidence, no single approach can be discounted.</p>