Argyll & Bute HSCP Draft Commissioning Intentions and Key Market Messages 2026-2031

Purpose 

This survey is part our engagement for Argyll & Bute Health and Social Care Partnership's (HSCP) Joint Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2031. For more details about the plan, please see NHS Highland's Engagement Hub (Argyll and Bute Joint Strategic Plan Consultation | NHS Highland Engagement Hub). 

We would welcome comments on our draft commissioning intentions and key market messages from our current providers and potential providers. Your responses will be used to gather general feedback and information about the potential impact of the draft commissioning intentions. Responses will be analysed and collated and we will work with our Strategic Planning Group and Argyll & Bute HSCP Senior Leadership Team on developing a final set of commissioning intentions which will be added as an appendix to the Joint Strategic Plan. 

Background 

All HSCPs are asked to develop market facilitation plans, key market messages and commissioning intentions to support the development of sustainable social care markets for their area. The aim is to provide clarity to current or potential service providers about our approach to commissioning social care services within Argyll & Bute and how we plan to support a functioning social care market through our commissioning and procurement arrangements.

As highlighted throughout the draft Joint Strategic Plan, demand for health and social care services is outstripping available funding and rising costs continue to put pressure on the HSCP and our providers. Ensuring financial viability and keeping people safe will shape our approach to commission for the foreseeable future. We have updated our draft commissioning intentions and key market messages to reflect this more clearly since we published the consultation copy of the Joint Strategic Plan in October. 

The independent, third and voluntary sector undoubtedly provides valuable services to our population and supports the health and wellbeing of people in Argyll & Bute in ways that can’t always be measured or quantified. Without the contribution of volunteers, family member and unpaid carers the system would grind to a halt. The HSCP remains committed to supporting our communities and a thriving voluntary and third sector, although we may not be able to do this as a funder or main funder of non-statutory services. Over the course of this strategic plan, we will have to reduce our contribution to some services and cease funding some altogether. This is not the position we want be in and we are acutely aware that this could be seen as at odds with our stated strategic intentions and the Scottish Government’s direction to prioritise prevention and early intervention. As an anchor organisation, we are also mindful that our commissioning decisions have the potential to impact local employment and the viability of some organisations. It is important to note that the Population Health Framework came without any funding to support its implementation.

We are working with Third Sector Interface Argyll & Bute to develop our approach to partnership working and supporting the third sector in Argyll & Bute outside our role as a commissioner and purchaser of external services. This will include:  

• capacity building
• supporting partners to bid for other funding sources 
• improving strategic coordination around the kinds of problems that can only be addressed by collective action and improving and maximising the use of resources across the public sector and the independent sector

We will share details for this consultation soon. 

The below draft commissioning intentions have been developed to support the proposed JSP strategic priorities, which are:

• Financial and System Sustainability
• Preventative and Community- Based Care
• Integrated and Person-Centred Care
• Workforce 
• Access to Care and Tackling Health Inequalities 
• Digital Transformation