Despite evidence to show the outcomes of poor commissioning of services, there is comparatively little practice-based evidence to show what approaches have been effective. Martin Campbell reviews reports on a set of guidelines that have been developed to inform commissioners in Scotland about available research and good practice

Commissioning is a complex process. Since the early 1990s the NHS and local authorities in the UK have been required to assess the health and social needs of people with learning disabilities and commission appropriate services (Department of Health (DH) 1989a, 1989b, 2001).