Health secretary Andrew Lansley and NHS chief executive David Nicholson outlined their vision for the future of commissioning at the NHS Confederation’s annual conference last week. Mr Lansley told delegates at the event in Liverpool last Thursday that he wanted to create a “direct relationship” between the management of care and the management of resources by enabling GPs to take control of commissioning. He promised to spell out the strategy that would underpin his vision as soon as possible.
Andrew Lansley also vowed to build on the good work already underway in the NHS, highlighting the Quality Innovation Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) and Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) initiatives, along with payment by results, practice based commissioning, foundation trust freedoms, the piloting of personal health budgets and joint working with local government as a basis for the future.
Mr Lansley said all leaders and managers would be involved in working out how to implement the strategy, and highlighted that “We can accelerate in primary care trusts the process of engaging practice based commissioning consortia, making it real now.”
Plenary session with Sir David Nicholson
Addressing the conference the following day, Mr Nicholson indicated that the latest World Class Commissioning results would be published by PCTs toward the end of July, and that they showed “a remarkable improvement in our ability to commission”.
He stressed that: “There are some hugely talented people in our system - we don’t want to lose that”, and urged PCT staff to continue improving their skills and to foster stronger links with GPs in order to keep up the momentum of local service improvement.
Mr Nicholson acknowledged that even the best GP commissioners were at present only part of the way towards becoming successful GP consortia, adding that managing the QIPP agenda would be critical in the coming period.
PCT Network sessions at conference
Two dedicated conference strand sessions for PCT Network members were extremely well attended.
On Wednesday afternoon NHS Somerset chief executive Ian Tipney outlined how he was using QIPP to improve long term conditions care while Outer North East London sector chief executive Heather O’Meara, acting NHS Redbridge chief executive Conor Burke and PbC Clinical Director Dt Anil Mehta spoke about increasing efficiency through whole system service redesign.
On Thursday NHS Confederation acting chief executive Nigel Edwards, King’s Fund director of policy Anna Dixon and Luther Pendragon director Simon Whale discussed the implications of the general election for PCTs.
PCT Network members can read more about this session by reading our summary document.
For further information
For further information on PCT Network sessions at the NHS Confederation annual and exhibition please contact Helen Crump, senior policy officer, NHS Confederation at helen.crump@nhsconfed.org.