Practice Based Commissioning

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Practice Based Commissioning

• Steve Thole
• Associate Director For Service Development

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What is Commissioning?

• The dictionary definition is
• An order for something to be specially
  produced
• In the NHS, this refers to the process by which
  the health needs
• of the population are assessed and then making
  sure that the
• appropriate services are in place.
• This is currently done by Primary Care Trusts.

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So what is Practice Based Commissioning?

• Essentially Practice Based Commissioning (PBC)
  transfers the
• responsibility for commissioning healthcare from
  the PCT to
• primary care clinicians. PCTs will retain
  budgetary accountability and responsibility for
  governance.
• Who are primary care clinicians?
• GPs
• Pharmacists
• Community Nurses
• Allied Health Professionals

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PBC. Why do this?

• The Government wants to make commissioning more
  effective
• They believe this will happen if it is led by
  primary care
• clinicians because this is where most decisions
  are made
• It links to other current initiatives - Choice,
  management of
• long term conditions, the shift from secondary
  care to
• primary care and Payment by Results

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The Principles of PBC

• Empowering clinicians to develop services
• Support the broadening of services outside
  hospital
• Improved patient care through redesign
• Optimise patient choice by moving service closer
  to patients

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How will PBC work?

• Practices will hold their own indicative budgets
• Practices likely to work in Locality Groups
• They will be responsible for developing service
  improvements
• The changes will require full consultation and
  the PCT will have to sign off changes
• They will retain a of savings for re-investment
  in PATIENT CARE

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What are the patient benefits?

• More local services
• A greater choice of treatments over time
• More services provided in the patients home
• Alternatives to hospital admission
• Potentially more say in developing services

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Next Steps

• PBC needs to be in place by the end of 2006
• We are currently talking to GP Practices about
  their plans
• We will have a steering group within the PCT
• The practices will form Localities to develop
  service changes
• Patient involvement is key in developing service
  change

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Practice Based Commissioning

• QUESTIONS