Benefits of Masters Degree Joint Commissioning Andy Rust Head of Walsall Joint Commissioning Unit

Walsall Joint Commissioning Joint Commissioning Unit created in July 2009 as a formal agreement between Walsall Council and NHS Walsall to combine the commissioning of health and social care; By 2015, has developed to the point where the process of joint commissioning has expanded beyond the Unit; Therefore, moving to a broader process between the CCG and the Council – on a journey ….

Benefits to Joint Commissioners Gateway to promotion and increased status Time out to consider leadership and management styles/roles; and latest challenges e.g. outcome based commissioning Learning from high quality and varied mix of presenters with experience across both health and social care Added value of networking with peers The Wolverhampton course being very much aligned to the day job - therefore able to use coursework as a contribution to the day job Improved performance in job role as a joint commissioner

Benefits to Employer Opportunity to expand thinking and bringing best practice to Walsall from elsewhere Improved technical mastery / management of process Improved confidence and leadership - role model Improved reputation for Walsall JCU brings greater recognition, ease of recruitment and retention Improved relationship management Perception of formal qualification as confirming the ‘professional ‘ status of the role; providing career progression – is ‘commissioning’ a profession?