Deed of variation for 2008 NHS standard acute contract

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)

Guidance on the routine collection of Patient Reported Outcome Measures

This document contains detailed guidance on the routine collection of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for elective procedures from 1 April 2009. The document is intended to support providers and PCT commissioners to implement the requirement to collect PROMs contained in the standard NHS contract for acute services.

Published February 2009, 28 pages

Evaluation of One-Stop Shop (Oss) Models of Sexual Health Provision

In 2001, the Government published the National Sexual Health and HIV Strategy and one of the recommendations is the provision of more comprehensive and integrated sexual health services. One of the commitments in the strategy was to undertake an evaluation of different models of One Stop Shops.

This report, which has just been published provides valuable findings and information for PCT commissioners and service providers considering an integrated approach as well as those already providing integrated services.

(Published February 2008, 250 pages)

Choice at Referral: Guidance Framework for 2007/8

This document provides best practice guidance for commissioners and providers on how the roll-out of free choice in elective care in 2007/8 will operate. It supplements existing guidance on choice at referral policy and implementation by setting out a framework to govern the further extension of choice in 2007/08.

(May 2007, 16 pages)

Getting the Basics Right: Final Report on the Care Closer to Home: Making the Shift

This document evaluates the NHS Institute’s Care Closer to Home Programme, which ran from November 2005 to March 2007. It identifies the factors that helped or hindered progress in shifting care outside hospital, and the lessons for the NHS from the experience of field test sites. The NHS Institute’s Care Closer to Home Programme
was established in 2005 to explore the scope for bringing about shifts in care within the NHS. Following an observation phase that ran from November 2005 to February 2006, the NHS Institute selected five healthcare communities to act as field test sites. In these five sites, 14 projects were identified to provide the focus for the programme.
This report summarises the main findings of the evaluation and the lessons for the NHS. It notes that almost all the 14 projects have started to test the scope for making shifts in care, with some getting underway more quickly than others.

(May 2007, 49 pages)

Palliative care provision

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of disability, morbidity and mortality in old age. Patients with advanced stage COPD are most likely to be admitted three to four times per year with acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) which are costly to manage.

Other documents or websites of interest

Health Management Specialist Library: Demand Management, referral from primary to secondary care

NHS Costing Manual: 2006-07

The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care

Focus On Commissioning - End of Life Care: A Commissioning Perspective

Estimating health and productivity gains in England from selected interventions

Dental Commissioning and Contract Monitoring - General Commissioning

Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) Bulletin 5 – Pharmacy and PBC

Commissioning News

Working together for better diabetes care

The national director for diabetes sets out how services are changing to meet the needs of patients, and how they need to change in the future. Clinicians in primary and secondary care need to work together and work in partnership with patients to improve care for people with diabetes.

(Published May 2007, 16 pages)

Demand Management: referral from primary to secondary care

The NLH Health Management Specialist Library have produced this page to support demand management. The NHS Operating Framework 2006/7 includes an expectation for PCTs to have plans in place for the management of demand in three key areas: practice-based commissioning, provisions in contracts and monitoring arrangements.

New model contract threatens survival, foundations warn

Commissioners will not have to pay for any type of hospital treatment they have not authorised, or for activity which exceeds agreed limits, under the new model contract. The final contract, published on Friday, makes no concessions to foundation trusts' fears that it threatens their survival. Primary care leaders have welcomed it as a 'necessary rebalancing' between commissioners and providers.

Access to the Health service journal requires self registration

GP reforms improve NHS referrals

Early examples suggest commissioning changes could cut 2.5 million pointless GP referrals - NHS meets target for rolling out reforms. GPs are sending fewer patients to hospital for unnecessary appointments following Government reforms giving practices a greater say in how the NHS provides and buys services for patients. Reports from the NHS, published for the first time today, show that GP practices in some parts of the country are cutting the number of patients they refer to consultants by a quarter by taking direct control of commissioning decisions.

(Published 26/01/07)

The NHS Contracts for 2007/08

These documents support the NHS operating framework for 2007-08.

The NHS contract for acute hospital services will cover agreements between PCTs and providers for the delivery of acute hospital based care.

(Published December 2006, 73 pages)