Both Bolton FT and Bolton Council currently provide a range of health and care services in the community – they employ staff to work directly with residents. However, they can’t deliver everything that’s needed. Bolton CCG’s primary role is to commission, or ‘buy’, health services for the town. For example, they commission GMMH to provide mental health services for Bolton. The CCG also commissions Bolton FT to provide hospital care. Bolton Council also has a commissioning team which ‘buys’ services for the local community, such as homecare and infection control, for example. As a result of the Partnership, Bolton Council and Bolton CCG have formed a Strategic Commissioning Function (SCF) in order to pool their budgets. And Bolton FT and Bolton Council, as providers of health and care services, are forming an Integrated Care Partnership.
