The Offender Personality Disorder pathway: Modelling collaborative commissioning in the NHS and criminal justice system

The complex process by which the current Offender Personality Disorder pathway came into existence and the importance of joint operations, both co-commissioning and co-delivery, are explored in this chapter. The importance of providing system leadership and the difficulty inherent in holding together a complex network of service provision in two parallel systems while maintaining effective service delivery is explored. A brief overview of the evolution of commissioning in both health and justice settings is given, as well as a description of ‘co-commissioning’ and the tensions and benefits evident in this unique approach. The importance of collaboration and working towards identified outcomes from a set of agreed strategic principles is emphasized, along with the importance of relationships and the impact the approach has on workforce and environments across the pathway.