In the world of health and social care, building a strong, trusting relationship with your commissioners isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Whether you’re running a care home or delivering domiciliary care, commissioners play a central role in funding, oversight, and contract continuity. Yet, these relationships can be complex, especially when expectations shift, service pressures mount, or communication starts to fray.
Enter the interim manager. With the ability to step in quickly and take a strategic, impartial view, interim managers are not only operational experts but skilled negotiators and mediators, able to bridge the gap between providers and commissioners to ensure shared success.
At Jiggle, we work with a network of highly experienced interim managers who bring sector-specific insight and proven results to organisations seeking to improve commissioner relationships, streamline operations, and build long-term trust.
Navigating Contracts with Confidence: Strategic Negotiation Skills
Contractual conversations with commissioners can be complex, especially if you’re also managing day-to-day care delivery. Interim managers come with finely tuned negotiation skills, enabling them to:
🗣️ Communicate your service’s value with clarity
📄 Navigate tricky discussions around costs, KPIs and outcomes
🤝 Find common ground that benefits both parties
Their role as a neutral third party often allows them to reset difficult relationships, paving the way for more productive, collaborative conversations going forward.
Maintaining Trust Through Regulatory Compliance
Commissioners need to know your service is safe, effective, and well-led. Interim managers have a detailed understanding of sector regulations, from CQC standards to safeguarding protocols, and ensure that your service is:
✅ Compliant and audit-ready
📊 Transparent about risks and how they’re being mitigated
💬 Responsive to commissioner concerns and recommendations
By embedding compliance into your daily operations, interim managers help build the kind of confidence that turns a commissioner from a funder into a partner.
Driving Improvement to Meet Expectations
Let’s be honest, commissioners don’t just want boxes ticked. They want services that are evolving, improving, and pushing for excellence. Interim managers assess your current performance and implement initiatives that:
📈 Improve service delivery
💡 Introduce innovations in care or support models
📋 Tackle underperformance and turnaround challenges
This proactive, improvement-led approach shows commissioners that you’re not standing still, you’re moving forward with purpose.
Creating Strong, Open Communication Channels
At the heart of any good partnership is clear, consistent communication. Interim managers often become the point of contact for commissioner engagement, ensuring:
📢 Regular updates and progress reports
📬 Prompt responses to queries or concerns
🧭 A shared understanding of goals, challenges, and next steps
With their help, communication becomes a tool for collaboration, not just compliance.
Financial Stewardship That Builds Confidence
Money matters, and how it’s managed matters even more. Interim managers bring financial clarity and discipline to the table, supporting care providers to:
💷 Accurately track and report spending
📊 Justify cost structures with data
🧾 Demonstrate value for money
This level of financial transparency gives commissioners the reassurance they need that public funds are being used responsibly and effectively.
Problem-Solving Under Pressure
When operational challenges arise (and they inevitably will) commissioners want to see solutions, not excuses. Interim managers are natural problem-solvers. They assess issues quickly, bring stakeholders together, and implement effective action plans to:
🚨 Stabilise services
👷 Prevent escalation
🔧 Build confidence in your capacity to recover and adapt
Whether it’s staffing issues, non-compliance, or underperformance, they’re the calm voice that turns a crisis into an opportunity to improve.
Aligning Strategy with Commissioner Priorities
Great relationships don’t just solve problems—they build futures. Interim managers help develop strategic plans that align your service goals with commissioner expectations. This can include:
🧭 Long-term growth strategies
📘 Tender preparation and bid support
📍 Service redesign for new population needs
It’s this ability to take a forward-looking, shared approach that helps care providers move from contract to collaboration.
Partnering for Success
In today’s care environment, strong commissioner relationships are non-negotiable. They are the foundation for service continuity, funding stability, and innovation. By bringing in interim managers with the experience, credibility, and communication skills to manage and enhance these relationships, providers can:
✅ Rebuild trust
✅ Improve performance
✅ Secure a sustainable, high-performing future
How Jiggle Can Help
Whether you’re facing a difficult conversation with a commissioner, preparing for a contract review, or simply want to strengthen your relationships across the board, Jiggle can connect you with the right interim professionals to help you achieve your goals.
We offer recruitment support and interim placements across all levels and specialisms within the care sector, tailored to your needs, and ready when you are.
