DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 4 March 2009
A renewed vision
for Practice Based Commissioning (PBC), and how it relates to
World Class Commissioning, was unveiled today at a special event
hosted by the King's Fund and the Department of Health.
'Clinical commissioning: our vision for practice-based
commissioning' describes how clinicians and health service
managers can combine their expertise to bring about improvements
in local health by investing in better quality, better value, and
better-designed health services. It outlines the principles to
achieve this and introduces a greater level of rigour into the
system through a series of clear entitlements underlining the
support practice-based commissioners can expect to receive.
The NHS Next Stage Review published last summer committed to
reinvigorating PBC. The new vision confirms the direction of
practice-based commissioning as providing a pivotal role in
empowering healthcare professionals to drive world class
commissioning by having a stronger say in shaping the health and
healthcare of local populations in partnership with Primary Care Trusts.
The vision has been developed in collaboration with a broad range
of clinicians, Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities.
PBC provides a framework which local clinicians can use to
develop a greater range of integrated health and care services in
the community, achieve better value for money and in turn, drive
continuous improvements in quality and innovation.
Health Minister Lord Darzi said:
"Thriving practice based commissioners can act as a driving
force for clinical and service innovation, identifying and
spreading new ideas that improve quality of care.
"This new vision goes a long way to set out the roles of
practice based commissioners and what they should expect in
return. Successful Practice Based Commissioning will be
characterised by clinicians, including GPs, community nurses,
allied health professionals, pharmacists and secondary care
clinicians engaging in the continuous cycle of reviewing the needs
of their community, how resources are used and the services
delivered for patients."
Notes to Editors:
1. The vision can be found at: http://www.dh.gsi.gov.uk/pbc
2. All practice based commissioners are entitled to:
* management and financial information;
* a management and financial support package;
* swift budget-setting and decision-making from Primary Care
Trusts, and;
* local incentive schemes agreed with every Primary Care Trust
that promote better health, better care and better value in
specific areas.
3. PCTs are held to account for the strength of their clinical
involvement through the world class commissioning assurance
system. PCTs will not be able to reach a level 2 rating unless the
above PBC entitlements are delivered.
4. Results from the last quarterly PBC GP survey in December 2008
shows support for PBC amongst GPs remains high at 62%, with a
further 20% neutral. The number of practices commissioning
services through PBC has risen from 46% to 56%.
5. The latest PBC GP survey results can be viewed at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_091372
6. For more information contact the Department of Health Press
Office on: 0207 210 5221.