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The Essential Drug Service Commissioner
Paul Hanton,
Drugscope
ISBN: 1904319459,
£9.99

Star rating: 3/5

This book is one of the titles from The Essential series, written by professionals in the field, writes Charlotte Pearson. Each of these titles is excellent value for money, is user-friendly, and attractively presented.

With 11 sections addressing various components of the commissioning process, it is not intended to be a weighty guide to commissioning. This is a strength, as the guide is easy to read and accessible. It does mean, however, that there is often an absence of detail throughout the text. Having said that, this is a practical guide to commissioning, as it not only highlights what should be done, but how it can be done.

In section six on monitoring and review, I would add the term "evaluation" to this process, and a focus on the importance of establishing the progress of the service from the point of view of the client. Qualitative processes are central to such developments.

The section on relationships with stakeholders has a good level of detail, which will be beneficial to commissioners, as well as partners in understanding their role in the commissioning process.

This title is likely to be useful, not only for prospective and existing commissioners, but also for drug and alcohol workers, managers and service users in understanding the role of commissioning and what effective commissioning should look like.

Charlotte Pearson is commissioning and planning officer for Denbighshire social services