The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 11 November 2009

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Healthy Child Programme from 5 to 19 years old

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

Reviewing patients who have waited longer than 18 weeks

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 – an introduction

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

Evaluation: Top Tips for Commissioners and Practitioners

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

Tackling demand together

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

Means to an end

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

Direct payment for health care: a consultation

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

NHS as the preferred provider

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

Is the time now right to integrate health and social care?

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

Personalised Care Planning for People with Long Term Conditions

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

Other documents and conferences

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

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The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 10 October 2009

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Commissioning local breastfeeding support services

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

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

Practice based commissioning: GP practice survey wave 8

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

Integrated care pilots: an introductory guide

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

Let’s Get Moving

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

Two thirds of PCTs still to agree provider model

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

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

Evaluation top tips for commissioners and practitioners

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

Auditors’ Local Evaluation and Use of Resources 2008/09

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

Conferences

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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The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 10

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Volume 4 Issue 9

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The Commissioner Volume 4 Issue 9

Improving access to child and adolescent mental health services

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

WCC summer update – July/August 2009

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

Health Inequalities Intervention Tools

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.

How to use NICE guidance to commission high-quality service: consultation

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