Independent sector treatment centres

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

Aiming high for disabled children: delivering improved health services

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

National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning

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

Transforming community services: currency and pricing options for community services

This DH document is intended as a resource to be used by commissioners and providers of community services to help create transparent models of funding, through the use of new currencies and better pricing at a local level. New currencies (the units of healthcare for which a provider is funded) and better pricing are key to transforming community services, enabling commissioners to incentivise improvements in quality and value. The use of new currencies with accurate pricing should also lead to more services being available closer to home for patients.

Published January 2009, 41 pages

West Kent PCT: World Class Commissioning strategy and delivering a commissioning model

West Kent PCT is making strides in its World Class Commissioning strategy and delivering a commissioning model with partner Avail Consulting that is improving value for money, driving up clinical standards and reducing inequalities in the local population.

Initially applied to sexual health and dentistry services, the PCT is already seeing 100% improvement in the delivery of GUM services, increased investment in prevention through screening programmes and a transformation in their relationships with providers.

To find out how they did it, click to the video:

http://www.healthexec.tv/cgi-bin/details.pl?action=pre&id=413

Dental Commissioning and Contract Monitoring - Tendering, Procurement & Contracting

Hints and tips procurement paper; This briefing note sets out some of the key lessons learned by a number of PCTs that have undertaken procurement exercises for NHS dental services. Competitive tendering exercises have been highly successful in several respects in primary care dentistry as they have: enabled PCTs to re-commission lost services; secured improved access in specific localities (or for specific types of population) in line with local oral health needs assessment; improved quality; tested the local market and securing improved VFM, as measured by the PCT’s average £/UDA before and after the exercise. PCTs felt they had achieved improved value for money without a reduction in quality.

(Published February 2008, 4 pages)