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The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) from 5 to 19 year olds sets out the recommended framework of universal and progressive services for children and young people to promote optimal health and wellbeing. It outlines suggested roles and responsibilities for commissioners, health, education, local authority and other partners to encourage the development of high-quality services. As the Operating framework for the NHS in England 2009/10 sets out, PCTs will want to review the transparency of their service offer in line with Healthy lives, brighter futures and local priorities, and this may include the HCP.
Published October 2009, 97 pages
As set out in David Flory's Quarter 4 2008-09 report, PCTs need to understand and act upon the reasons for any unnecessary waits over 18 weeks. This guidance suggests methods for reviewing and reporting waits longer than 18 weeks in order to understand the causes of unnecessary waits, and to drive further improvements in patient experience.
Published October 2009, 10 pages
World class commissioning is about delivering better health and wellbeing for the population, improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities. In partnership with local government, practice based commissioners and others, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs),supported by Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs), will lead the NHS in turning the world class commissioning vision into a reality, adding life to years and years to life.
Published October 2009, 10 pages
This is a new paper from the Greater Manchester Public Health Practice Unit. The paper aims to give commissioners and service providers a framework to enable a more efficient method of carrying out evaluation. It explains the purpose of evaluation, types of evaluation with examples, and discusses service user involvement and engagement.
Published October 2009, 16 pages
This toolkit has been produced by a group of ambulance providers and primary care trust commissioners together with the Department of Health to offer practical analysis, worksheets and tools to help all commissioners and providers improve urgent and emergency care services through better understanding of the factors affecting significant rises in 999 demand.
Published October 2009, 59 pages
This report reviews the joint financing and integrated care arrangements between NHS bodies and councils with adult social care responsibilities. It builds on our previous publication, Clarifying joint financing arrangements, that explained the practical implications and legislative framework for joint financing.
It considers how these arrangements are used, focusing on learning disability, mental health and older people - areas where service users most often need health and social care.
The report's recommendations and examples of notable practice aim to help national and local bodies better understand the options available, how to use them and to achieve better outcomes for service users.
Published October 2009, 68 pages
This consultation document seeks views on the Government’s proposals for piloting direct payments for health care. This is part of the wider pilot programme to explore personal health budgets announced in High Quality Care For All. PCTs are already able to offer personal budgets that do not involve giving money directly to individuals. The Health Bill, which has now completed its main Parliamentary stages, would extend these options by providing power to allow direct payments, where the individual would be given the money to buy their own health care as agreed in a care-plan.
Published October 2009, 41 pages
The Secretary of State’s recent speech at the King’s Fund focused on putting quality at the core of the NHS. He assured ‘the NHS is our preferred provider’. In his letter he shares with NHS Chief Executives how we propose to move this policy forward through the development of future guidance.
Published October 2009
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, but as the former Health Minister Lord Warner noted at a debate at The King’s Fund this morning, with a few exceptions the Berlin Wall between health and social care still stands.
Published November 2009
A new outline specification for personalised care planning is now available. It differs from other primary care service frameworks published by NHS PCC because personalised care planning is more about an approach to service delivery than the services themselves. The outline specification aims to help PCTs to develop their local thinking and approach, and work with providers to change existing ways of working, rather than commission additional services.
Published November 2009, 24 pages
Conference: Delivering world class accessible and responsive general medical care services for patients - 27 November - York ; 3 December - Bristol ; 4 December - London ; 7 December - Birmingham
Location, location, location: Making choice of place of birth a reality
Feed for Podcast Standard Podcasts [ 6:33m]The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 11RSS Feed
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Feed for Podcast Standard Podcasts [ 6:08m]The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 10RSS Feed
This DH commissioning guidance aims to assist commissioners and primary care trusts (PCTs) in providing coherent services that will promote breastfeeding and reduce inequalities, as set out in Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures: the strategy for children and young people’s health (Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health, 2009, para 3.43), and to work with local Children’s Trust partners in delivering Public Service Agreement (PSA) 12.
It aims to: consolidate the case for breastfeeding care and support as an integral part of local strategies to improve child health and reduce health inequalities; signpost commissioners to sources of policy, practice and evidence; and set out some key considerations in relation to World Class Commissioning competencies within the three phases of the commissioning cycle.
It is recognised that commissioners will be operating in varied contexts - some will already have well-developed joint commissioning and Children’s Trust arrangements in place, while others will be at different stages of development.
Published October 2009, 58 pages
The WCC assurance handbook sets out guidance on the content and process for SHAs and PCTs in implementing the assurance system for world class commissioning.
The Year 2 WCC assurance handbook is designed to focus on the key changes for the world class commissioning assurance framework, content and process for this year. While it does not repeat all the details of last year’s handbook (particularly where content remains the same), it provides sufficient overview to stand alone.
Published September 2009, 112 pages
This is the eighth quarterly practice survey for 2009, covering a sample of practices from each primary care trust (PCT), conducted between June and August 2009. The aims of the survey are to get feedback from practices on their perception of the support offered by their PCT and on the clinical and financial engagement of practices with PBC. The survey is part of a group of indicators that will be assessed together to give a picture of PBC implementation.
Published September 2009, 28 pages
This introductory guide to the national programme of integrated care pilots and evaluation provides a summary of the work each pilot will be doing as they implement and test their models of integrated care.
Published September 2009, 20 pages
The commissioning guidance sets out an evidence-based behavior charter model Let’s Get Moving encouraging local commissioning of physical activity interventions in primary care.
Published September 2009, 85 pages
Patient Resources
According to a survey of 83 PCT provider arms, one third said their service model had been agreed by their PCT board and the SHA before 1 October.
Published October 2009
Independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) provide services to NHS patients but are owned and run by organisations outside the NHS. This briefing paper explains why ISTCs were introduced, and how they are funded, staffed and regulated.
It assesses their impact so far, including the quality of their services and whether they provide good value for money. Finally, it examines what their future may be now that the contracts ISTC providers hold with the Department of Health are beginning to expire.
Published October 2009, 10 pages
This is a new paper from the Greater Manchester Public Health Practice Unit.
The paper aims to give commissioners and service providers a framework to enable a more efficient method of carrying out evaluation. It explains the purpose of evaluation, types of evaluation with examples, and discusses service user involvement and engagement.
Published September 2009, 16 pages
Each year, the Audit Commission assesses how well NHS trusts and primary care trusts manage their resources and deliver value for money. For 2008/09, these assessments have been based on the Auditors' Local Evaluation (ALE) for NHS trusts and Use of Resources (UoR) for primary care trusts. We have published a national report outlining the scores and how they should be viewed in the context of the overall financial performance of the NHS in 2008/09, which is one of a continued improvement in financial stability. NHS foundation trusts are assessed by Monitor.
Published October 2009, 84 pages
Commissioning workshops to discuss commissioning services for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 9th November 2009. For further detail email Sarah.Moore@kintoa.org
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Feed for Podcast Standard Podcasts [ 5:27m]The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 9
This joint DH/DCSF guide states how the 18 weeks referral to treatment standard, (NHS Operating Framework for 2009/10) applies to non-emergency consultant-led CAMHS services and pathways. This guide does not set any new standards or targets. It shows how accessible low-wait CAMHS can be achieved and provides good practice examples.
Published August 2009, 36 pages
This letter from Gary Belfield gives a progress report on the world class commissioning (WCC) programme for July and August. It includes updates on the launch of assurance year two, the PBC National Clinical Network, a new film showcasing PBC in action, some new support and development resources and an update on the programme of Integrated Care Pilots (ICP).
Published August 2009, 4 pages
To support Primary Care Trusts and local authorities, the Association of Public Health Observatories and Department of Health have developed the Health Inequalities Intervention Tools. These tools are designed to support evidence-based local service planning and commissioning, including Joint Strategic Needs Assessments.
Following two stakeholder workshops held earlier this year, NICE has developed a “How to” guide on how NICE guidance can be used to support the commissioning of high-quality care and services. This guide is due to be launched at the NICE conference in December 2009. NICE are inviting you to comment on this guidance
This suite of downloadable prevention package resources, from the DH, is designed to support PCTs, SHAs and Local Authorities in prioritising and effectively commissioning services that support the health, well-being and independence of older people.
Published July 2009
The guide was funded by the Department of Health and serves as blueprint for better commissioning for carers. Accompanying the main guide is a shorter action guide for decision-makers. This is aimed at directors of adult services, chief executives of primary care trusts (PCT) and elected members. Key recommendations in the guides include: think ‘carer’ in all commissioning and joint strategic needs assessments (JSNA); improve outcomes, independence and choices for both carers and those they care for; involve carers of all groups and communities in decision-making and planning processes; strengthen the carer support provider market, using a variety of funding approaches.
Published September 2009, 50 pages
Since 1 April 2009, funding and commissioning responsibility of social care for adults with learning disabilities transferred from the NHS to local authorities. Further guidance on capital transfers and other financial and practical issues is provided.
Published 2009
Providing effective health services for disabled children will improve outcomes for them and their families, ensure the child receives the best quality of care and provide better value for money. This report examines best practice around the country. It draws on examples of services for disabled children that meet users’ needs, respond to the government agenda and are effective from both a quality and a cost point of view.
Published September 2009, 20 pages
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Feed for Podcast Standard Podcasts [ 7:14m]The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 8
The Health Select Committee has decided to undertake an inquiry into commissioning in the NHS.
The terms of reference for the inquiry are as follows:
This report describes a model which takes into account population need in a way that has not previously been undertaken. The authors note that their work has a number of limitations including the use of a rather narrow outcome indicator (mortality) and the need to assume a relatively stable pattern of spending by PCTs across programmes over the recent past. Notwithstanding these limitations, the study offers clear confirmation that current expenditure by PCTs on some important programmes of care is highly cost-effective and illustrates how programme budgeting data can be used to generate information which might usefully inform PCTs' spending decisions.
Published June 2009, 64 pages
In 2007, a straw poll of GPs and practice managers by The King’s Fund and NHS Alliance found that primary care trusts (PCTs) were struggling to put in place the basic building blocks of practice-based commissioning (PBC). Two years on, has PBC moved forward and is it making a difference to patient care? A new poll has found continuing commitment to PBC and optimism about its potential but progress is still hampered by a lack of local vision, a lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities and bureaucratic governance processes. Moving into an era of restricted financial resources, it will become increasingly important for PCTs and practices to work together. Real clinician engagement – underpinned by locally developed visions, structures, agreements and lines of accountability – is key to the development of effective partnership working.
Published July 2009, 16 pages
The new NHS Improvement publication “Commissioning for Stroke Prevention in Primary Care: the role of Atrial Fibrillation” which has been developed following a national consensus meeting of opinion leaders in the field, to develop a concerted strategy towards the management of AF in primary care.
This document considers the evidence that a review of AF management in primary care is needed to develop more systematic strategies for the identification, diagnosis and optimal treatment of patients with AF to reduce the risk of stroke. It is aimed at cardiac and stroke networks, PCTs, commissioners, medical directors, cardiac and stroke leads, public health colleagues, and GP’s.
Published June 2009, 16 pages
This DH guidance is designed to direct commissioners in areas where tackling alcohol harm is an identified priority, to the resources and guidance, which will assist them in commissioning interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm in their local community. It offers ways to improve commissioning, looking at each World Class Commissioning competency and all stages in the commissioning cycle.
Published July 2009, 90 pages
NHS spending in England may have more than doubled in real terms since 1999/2000, but the prospects for future funding now look bleak. Although there is consensus that the NHS faces a tough financial future, there is no agreement about just how cold the financial climate will be. Starting with a look at historical funding for the NHS, The King’s Fund and the Institute for Fiscal Studies set out three plausible future funding scenarios and their consequences. The paper concludes with an assessment of each scenario and the options for funding up to 2017.
Published July 2009, 28 pages
Good mental health is fundamental to the well-being and prosperity of England. In the last decade, greater investment and reforms have transformed mental health care, but now we need to go further.
We need to target the root causes of mental illness and support the local development of higher quality, more personalised services.
New Horizons sets out ideas for achieving this. It explores the prevention of mental illness and earlier intervention when things go wrong. It also looks at how services can become more innovative and work more effectively together.
Part of the world class commissioning suite of practical guides, this document builds on existing good practice within the NHS to support PCTs in improving the accessibility and responsiveness of local GP services.
Published July 2009, 70 pages
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Feed for Podcast Standard Podcasts [ 6:11m]The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 7
Practice-based commissioning offers front-line clinicians the opportunity to play a major role in the development and delivery of strategies and activities that improve local health and well-being. However, many GPs don’t know how to get started, to make their ideas for change a reality.
This Department for Health Guide provides easy to follow advice, practical examples and details of where to find further support. Although primarily designed for those just starting out with PBC, it also contains information and useful tips of interest to those that have already made progress but are looking to expand their activity further.
Published June 2009, 28 pages
Primary care trusts have reported significant changes in the last two years to the way they organise patient and public engagement in commissioning, amounting to the beginnings of a cultural shift, the Picker Institute says today. However, the change in culture may, at this point, be mainly within the PCTs’ own management, rather than something that has impacted on the public or changed the nature of services. The public have yet to have a strong influence on the content of most patient and public engagement (PPE) strategies.
Published June 2009, 38 pages
Organisational and system health; a new perspective on performance improvement? A new report from NHS Institute and Matrix Insight gives an accessible introduction to concepts of organisational health, details of case studies and a summary of implications for the NHS.
Published 2009, 33 pages
This new website has been set up for the support and development of world-class commissioning. The site, which is hosted by NHS Networks and supported by the Department of Health, contains news, policy, guidance and other resources for commissioners against each of the 11 competencies.
The World Class Commissioning programme is designed to improve the capacity and capability of primary care trusts (PCTs) to deliver better care, better health and better value for the populations they serve.
This discussion paper outlines the challenges facing commissioners over the next few years and identifies actions that PCTs might take to prepare their health economies for what is to come.
Published June 2009, 12 pages
FESC is a practical and cost effective procurement tool, created by the Department of Health, to help primary care trusts (PCTs) address gaps in commissioning capability or capacity by providing easy access to high quality commissioning solutions from pre-qualified and experienced private sector partners. This brochure sets out what FESC is, why you should consider using it and how to do so.
Published June 2009, 16 pages
These Department of Health best practice guides have a vital role to play in the delivery of the intentions for High Quality Care for All: the Next Stage Review. They set out ambitions, taking action and measurement of the achievement and link with, should be read in conjunction with the quality framework/quality indicators.
Published June 2009
An Expert Group on Commissioning NHS Infertility Provision was established by the Department of Health at the beginning of 2008, with the aim of identifying the barriers to the implementation of the NICE fertility guideline and helping PCTs move towards the implementation of the guideline. 'Regulated fertility treatment: a commissioning aid' was produced by the expert group, and launched by Gillian Merron, Minister of state for Public Health.
Published June 2009, 24 pages
The National Dementia Strategy joint commissioning framework provides best practice guidance for commissioning dementia services. It includes a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment template, summary of NICE and SCIE evidence for dementia services, commissioning levers against each of the strategy's objectives and a summary of South East Coastal SHA dementia metrics.
Published June 2009, 72 pages
This suite of Department of Health documents is for those commissioners and providers who entered into the acute services contract that was published in December 2007, who are now working to a document that does not reflect changes brought about by the operating framework for 2009-1010.
The standard deed of variation is designed to vary those existing acute services contracts by incorporating the significant elements of the 2009/2010 standard NHS contract for acute services brought about by the operating framework.
(Published May 2009, 3 documents)
There is almost universal consensus that the current system of social care funding is unsustainable and in urgent need of reform. Many older people and adults with disabilities, well as their families and carers, are being failed now and under the existing arrangements highly unlikely that in future the state will be able to support the costs of rising demand for long-term care. By 2026 it is estimated that one in five people will be aged 65 or over and number of over-85s will have increased by two-thirds – this compares with overall population growth of just 10 per cent. The 2009 Budget revised down the government’s forecasts for what it expects to spend on public services and benefits from 2011/12, but given that the existing system is unsustainable doing nothing is not an option, even in the current economic climate. This briefing from The King’s Fund looks ahead to the Green Paper on social care, expected in June, and sets out the key tests that any new settlement will need to meet.
(Published May 2009, 3 pages)
The King’s Fund has produced this briefing ahead of the second reading of the Health Bill in the House of Commons.
The King’s Fund welcomes the measures outlined in the new Health Bill to introduce a Constitution for the NHS; pilot direct payments for patients; require providers of NHS-funded care to produce annual quality accounts; and make further provisions on tobacco control.
Ahead of the Health Bill’s second reading in the House of Commons on Monday 8 June, they have some specific issues relating to the Health Bill that they raise and seek clarification on these during its passage.
(Published June 2009, 4 pages)
On the Kings Fund Blog John Appleby comments It’s now nearly two decades since the introduction of a separation between purchasers and providers in the NHS. In that time purchasers (as they were then called) should have come a long way in grappling with an essential commissioning task: understanding and managing markets. But with PCTs scoring worst on the World Class Commissioning competency of ‘stimulating the market’ it’s clear that there is still some way to go. The question is, does the NHS really understand what a complex and difficult task this market management is going to be?
(Published May 2009)
These events aim to support PCTs to develop their workforce and realise benefits for the organisation in the journey to becoming A World Class Commissioning organisation.
The programme will provide information that enables people and organisations to increase individual skills and raise performance to meet World Class Commissioning
Competencies.
Conference 26th June
A Monthly progress report on the world class commissioning programme from Gary Belfield.
(Published May 2009, 54 pages)
Last autumn, health secretary Alan Johnson said he wanted to see NHS Trusts collecting and using “immediate feedback” from patients to drive service improvement.
To help the NHS harness the information it gathers, a guide – called ‘Understanding what matters: A guide to using patient feedback to transform services’ has been published.
The guide sets out best practice in terms of collecting, analysing and using patient feedback to transform services. It also includes examples of how the NHS is already using feedback from patients to get results.
This resource, is one of a number being produced to help services understand and respond to what really matters to patients and their experiences of care.
(Published May 2009, 34 pages)
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This report reveals that many patients feel local healthcare commissioning, the process intended to ensure health and care services effectively meet the needs of the local population by engaging with patient representatives, is not working effectively. It also identifies specialist nurses as the best placed healthcare professionals to make the commissioning process a success.
Published February 2009, 52 pages
The Audit Commission national study 'Working better together? Managing local strategic partnerships' reviews arrangements for performance, resource management, and governance. The report identifies LSPs as evolving and maturing, local and national partners still need to recognise the key dynamics that support partnership working. Too few LSPs take an area-wide approach to performance and resource management. Some LSPs have well developed performance arrangements, but less developed resource management. And most LSPs have progress to make on their improvement journey if they are to deliver sustainable community strategy and LAA outcomes. LSPs that have good, shared systems for performance management (with performance reporting, resource allocation, and risk management) will find it easier to show that they are on track to achieve agreed outcomes than those that do not.
Published April 2009
The Department of Health requires primary care trusts (PCTs) to lay out a strategic vision and organisational options for the community health services that they currently manage. This provides PCTs with an opportunity to address many years of neglect in these services and to prepare for the growing health care needs of a population that is ageing and has rising rates of chronic disease.
The Kings Fund Report Shaping PCT Provider Services: The future for community health, published in April 2009, draws on a range of evidence about community services and health care service development. It aims to help PCTs to develop a service and organisational strategy that addresses key performance issues as well as to configure services to meet the changing needs of their local population.
Supporting page
Published April 2009, 56 pages
This good practice advice for PCT and local authority commissioners builds on Better Services for People with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and is part of a programme of work to ensure that people with autistic spectrum conditions receive the right support to live life independently and to the full, exercising choice and control over decisions that affect their lives.
Published 2009, 26 pages
This good practice advice for PCT and local authority commissioners builds on Better Services for People with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and is part of a programme of work to ensure that people with autistic spectrum conditions receive the right support to live life independently and to the full, exercising choice and control over decisions that affect their lives.
Published 2009, 26 pages
The quality of services provided by family doctors and other staff in general practice in England will come under the microscope following the announcement today of a major 18-month inquiry from The King’s Fund.The inquiry comes at a key time in the reform of general practice and will examine and collect evidence on the quality of care provided to patients. Despite the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework that has provided incentives to general practice to improve the quality of patient care through performance-related pay, the majority of the focus on quality has been concentrated on hospital services rather than general practice.
Published April 2009
This site is aimed at supporting World-class Commissioning of cancer services across the NHS by making information on cancer care in England freely available. It includes a range of high-level indicators, as well as a number of links to more detailed information, right across the patient’s journey: from prevention and screening through referral and treatment to living with and beyond cancer, as well as end of life care.
The new Commercial Operating Model will further enhance commercial and procurement skills across the NHS in helping to deliver high quality and personalised care for patients.
Published May 2009, 20 pages
The purpose of this document is to provide a set of basic guidelines for people commissioning information in Easy Read aimed at people with learning disabilities.
Published April 2009, 13 pages
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This document provides best practice guidance relevant to the provision of all NHS stop smoking interventions and sets out fundamental quality principles for the delivery of services which can be used to inform the development of local commissioning arrangements. It also includes full details of the data reporting requirements for NHS Stop Smoking Services.
Published March 2009, 113 pages
The Department for Health is seeking applications to support world class commissioning for children and young people with speech, language and communications needs. (SLCN) As part of a wider programme of work around SLCN, applications are sought for commissioning pathfinders to test ways of improving how these services are commissioned and the outcomes for children and young people using them. Pathfinder selection will involve a two stage process. Stage one will comprise 2 bidder workshops on 14 April 2009 in London and 28 April 2009 in Birmingham. Written applications should be submitted by 18 May 2009. Stage two will involve a review of the applications, at national and regional level, with an announcement by mid-July 2009.
March 2009
Following a 12 week consultation, from 4 November 2008 to 27 January 2009, the Department of Health has now published final guidance on NHS patients wishing to pay for additional private care, alongside a Government response to the consultation. This follows the publication on 4 November 2008 of Professor Mike Richards’s report Improving access to medicines for NHS patients, and the Secretary of State’s announcement of a package of measures in response, designed to make more drugs available to NHS patients free of charge on the NHS. These measures, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s introduction of greater flexibility into its appraisal of more expensive drugs for end of life conditions, should minimise the number of patients who will ever want to pay for additional private care.
Published March 2009, 15 pages
This is the 1st quarterly practice survey for 2009, covering a sample of practices from each primary care trust (PCT). The aims of the survey are to get feedback from practices on their perception of the support offered by their PCT and on the clinical and financial engagement of practices with PBC. The survey is part of a group of indicators that will be assessed together to give a picture of PBC implementation.
Published March 2009
A new briefing paper for the Nuffield Trust on policy options for integrating health and social care, which explores the issues involved in achieving closer integration. The paper explores the discussions that took place and key messages arising from a series of seminars led by experts in this field and held by the Nuffield Trust between November 2008 and January 2009.
Published April 2009, 12 pages
This good practice advice for PCT and local authority commissioners builds on Better Services for People with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and is part of a programme of work to ensure that people with autistic spectrum conditions receive the right support to live life independently and to the full, exercising choice and control over decisions that affect their lives. This publication is part of a two-stage process to better support commissioners of services for adults with autistic spectrum condition and will be followed by detailed commissioning guidance later in the year.
Published April 2009, 26 pages
This BMJ feature article describes what should be happening and what is happing in relation to an “open market” in primary care.
Published March 2009
In February the Health Select Committee published the report of its inquiry into health inequalities. It focuses on the difficulties in evaluating policies put in place by the Government to tackle health inequalities.
Published February 2009
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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published six new commissioning guides to help the NHS in England effectively commission evidence-based care for patients. The guides cover services for:
This guide to commissioning will support commissioners in delivering the vision set out in the accompanying child health strategy, Healthy lives, brighter futures by (a) using the world class commissioning competencies and (b) aligning the commissioning cycles across agencies.
Published February 2009, 22 pages
The results of joint work between the Healthcare Commission and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in 2007/08 - This report gives the findings from the inspections of prisons during 2007/08 relating to the delivery of healthcare and the management of substance misuse. It gives recommendations for primary care trusts on how to improve services.
Published February 2009, 20 pages
An Independent commission has been established to examine the commissioning of oral healthcare in England and Wales.
This document sets out a vision for clinical commissioning, the hallmarks of successful clinical commissioning, the support and entitlements that practice-based commissioners can expect, and the principles underpinning vibrant, productive partnerships between PCTs and their clinical communities.
Published March 2009, 20 pages
The first project in a new government funded drive to improve practice based commissioning has been launched in Brent. Brent primary care trust will work with a partnership of NHS Alliance and Humana to develop the skills of clinicians and managers.
Published March 2009, 1 page
This is the first in a series of Compact implementation guidance and is designed to facilitate better working relationships between commissioners of services in national and local public sector bodies and third sector organisations. It identifies current Compact principles and demonstrates where and how they can be applied to commissioning to deliver better outcomes and improve performance. It also highlights those Compact principles relevant to third sector organisations involved in commissioning.
Published February 2009, 20 pages
PCTs are responsible for ensuring that practices receive an indicative budget that reflects the needs of their population as accurately as possible. This allows a practice to access a 'fair share' of the resources available to the whole of the PCT for its patients. The Department has updated the toolkit that can be used to determine weighted capitation indicative budgets at practice level. This is part of the DH ongoing commitment to refine the methodology and improve accuracy.
To accompany the toolkit the DH have also produced guidance which sets out:
Based on research by nef (the new economics foundation), the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning has published the report 'A better return' on how spending on public services can be directed to achieve the best return for communities, the environment and the public purse.
Published January 2008, 29 pages
MOBILE treatment units are travelling around Greater Manchester as part of a £172m private health contract to cut waiting times.
Published February 2009
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Lord Darzi announced in High Quality Care for All that the Department will launch a pilot of personal health budgets in 2009, as a way of giving people greater control over the services they use and who provides them. Personal Health Budgets: First Steps sets out the principles of personal health budgets, reports on early lessons and invites expressions of interest in the pilot programme.
Published January 2009
Further to the publication of 'Improving Access to Audiology Services in England' in March 2007, this document provides good practice and evidence to help commissioners and service providers to make changes to the way that adult tinnitus services are delivered, and in particular to reduce waits for patients with the most common hearing difficulties.
Published January 2009, 42 pages
Further to the publication in March 2007 of Improving access to audiology services in England, this document provides good practice and evidence to help commissioners and service providers to make changes to the way that adult balance services are delivered, and in particular to reduce waits for patients with the most common hearing difficulties.
Published January 2009, 40 pages
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