Posts Tagged ‘PCT’

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NHS Chiefs who “ration” care may face redundancy

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Health secretary Andrew Lansley is to announce that NHS bosses who attempt to save money by rationing treatments or extending wait times for operations could face redundancy.

It comes as a response to the July report by the Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP), which accused primary care trusts (PCTs) of “reducing or delaying access to care”. This revealed measures such as “rationing by stealth” which are taking place as the NHS prepares to save £20 billion by 2014 whilst not compromising the quality of patient care.

The CCP warned that such measures could lead to unnecessary fatalities because a majority of PCTs were forcing patients to wait a minimum of 15 weeks. The watchdog claimed the move was designed to shorten waiting lists and save money in the short term, however it is thought this will increase burden on services in the long term and have adverse effects on patient care in the mean time.

Patients have had the choice on where they receive elective surgery since 2006 which includes the option of treatment in private hospitals. PCTs have employed a number of tactics including setting minimum waiting times before patients were treated and directing GPs to refer patients to keep cash flowing into a local NHS hospital even when private providers had the capacity.

The CCP claimed almost half of PCTs were unreasonably restricting patients’ choice, however critics say the panel is “prising apart” the NHS so that private companies can “lure patients away from state hospitals”.

Lansley states that he believes patients will benefit from further competition and will order the end of minimum waiting times “as soon as possible”, with an outright ban being introduced from March next year. If the problem persists, Lansley said he would remove the chair of any PCT that acted in this way.

The move is being welcomed by the NHS Partners Network (NHSPN), an alliance of commercial and not-for-profit healthcare providers working in the NHS. Director David Worskett said that imposing minimum waiting times was “misguided, highly undesirable and almost never in the interest of patients, providers or indeed PCTs themselves.”

Original Source The Guardian

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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Consortia responsible for PCT savings

Friday, April 8th, 2011
Under the new health reforms, it has been been revealed that Primary Care Trust’s (PCT’s) with some of the toughest financial challenges will relinquish the responsibility of their huge savings targets to pathfinder commissioning consortia.

The analysis of the quality, innovation, productivity and prevention (QIPP) plans published in the Health Service Journal demonstrated the rapid rate at which these savings need to be accelerated and the vital role the consortia will hold in delivering them.

The findings come as Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s plan to hand control of £60 billion of the NHS budget to commissioning consortia is put under renewed pressure. Critics of the Health Bill fear accountability arrangements for consortia will be too weak, which may be attributable for the decision to delay implementation of the plans by a further two months.

PCT Network director David Stout said that PCT’s facing significant financial difficulty will require greater levels of clinical engagement with the QIPP plans. To do so, he suggests Trusts will have to implement entire new levels of service redesign, which will require good clinical leadership in order to ensure success.

For some commissioners already in financial difficulty, the drastic reduction in the rate of funding growth for the NHS this year appears to leave a wide gap which many are struggling to bridge with efficiency saving plans.

This is reflected by a number of London-based Trusts, where for example the 2011-12 draft budget for NHS Haringey predicted a shift towards agreeing contracts with its providers which would leave the PCT with a deficit of £22.2 million, despite planned savings of £29.4 million. Similarly, a report into NHS Barnet’s board said it was “unlikely” that the PCT would identify sufficient savings to fill the £53.5 million gap between funds needed to meet anticipated demand and its resources for 2011-12.

Since these PCT’s began production of their plans in September last year their finances had deteriorated by approximately £15 million, and that consequently a number of additional decommissioning decisions will need to be made by boards.

Original Source HSJ

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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Many consortia to equal PCT area

Monday, March 28th, 2011
Almost half of Primary Care Trusts (PCT’s) in England are expecting a single commissioning consortium to span the same geographical area that they currently cover.

335 emerging consortia have now been identified which will cover a 45 million population – around 90% of England – and including nearly 7,000 practices. Based on information from 134 PCT’s collected in the past two months, it has been revealed that 63 consortia will cover the same area as their PCT, although in a few of those cases a small number of practices in the area are not yet signed up.

The finding comes from the most comprehensive analysis so far of the shape and size of the GP led groups. Previous analysis has focused on the 177 pathfinder consortia announced by the Department of Health. Estimations based on the average consortium population however indicate the possibility of a total of 380 consortia, dramatically higher than recent projections.

It is thought that this discovery will fuel concerns that despite the major upheaval in the NHS, a similar commissioning landscape could remain in many areas. If consortia are to be the same size as PCT’s, doubts could be cast over their ability to achieve their primary objective of involving local GP’s in the commissioning strategy of the organisation.

Sources have stressed the size of consortia is likely to change significantly before April 2013, with the authorisation process almost certain to ultimately encourage larger groups.

Ed Macalister-Smith, chief executive of Buckinghamshire PCT believes that practices should be allowed to use the next two years to develop different forms and approaches of operating. He warned that placing pressure on financial and performance control and demanding that consortia define issues such as membership and governance could hinder their progression.

By giving consortia greater freedom, it is hoped that it will create an environment to encourage new and more efficient working practises. Concerns are however rising from the need to maintain rigid control over these emerging consortia, predicting that it could quash innovation.

Conversely Paul Zollinger-Read, the lead of GP commissioning for the NHS East of England, has stated his beliefs that consortia will be able to remain small and concise as long as they share support services and contract functions at a greater geographical level.

Original Source HSJ

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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NHS overhaul deemed unnecessary

Monday, January 17th, 2011

Leading GP’s have declared that the current upheaval in the NHS is unnecessary, and could have been achieved by small alterations to the underlying structure.

A health bill to be published this week will pave the way for GP commissioning consortiums to take over management of the NHS from primary care trusts. This has been the subject of much criticism from numerous GP’s who claim that clinicians could have been put in charge of PCTs, a move rejected by the government.

The government’s controversial plans coincide with a report from the NHS Confederation, which suggested hospitals may have to close under the planned reforms. Additional criticisms derive from the fact that these major modifications come at a time of ever-increasing NHS cutbacks and costs.

Ministers have already begun to pilot GP consortiums, which will take responsibility for allocation 80% of the NHS budget in England by 2013. In the process, 151 PCT’s will be scrapped.

The alternative option proposed by GPs involves the  key decision-making body for PCTs, “the board”.  Individual boards have to verify all big decisions, such as setting up new services. Of the 13 representatives comprising each board,  the inclusion of only one GP is a necessity. By increasing the proportion of GP’s on each board, it is believed that the government would have been able to achieve its primary aim of including more clinicians in key decision-making processes.

Dr Clare Gerada, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “You could have simply mandated to ensure GPs had more of an influence on PCT boards – and achieved largely the same results. It is not too late to change.”

Original Source BBC News Health

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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Clinicians urged to make cheaper referrals

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

A PCT has recently informed clinicians that the number of “expensive, non urgent referrals” made to London trusts are being restricted and must go through the lengthy process of being authorised first.

Adam Greig, medical director at NHS Berkshire East agreed that this was an imposition on clinical freedom but asked clinicians to bear with him whilst managing the difficult financial situation. He expressed fears that if the equilibrium of the financial situation was unable to be restored that more drastic measures may be have to be taken in the future.

The email sent to clinicians suggested that procedures could in some cases be carried out more locally or elsewhere within the South Central SHA which had with the same clinical outcomes, at a more cost effective rate. Clinicians will see computer submitted  referrals returned to them if they have not been authorised to proceed.

The new incentive has been devised to deter referrals from London based trusts such as University College London Hospitals where the PCT is required to pay a market premium, to local trusts such as Heatherwood and Wexham Park, incurring no additional costs.

Objections to this have been raised by  a spokeswoman for The Royal Brompton and Harefield Foundation Trust, a trust falling within the catchment area for higher market premiums. She reiterated that the most appropriate place for treatment for each particular patient is determined by the medical condition in conjunction with patient choice and clinical recommendations.

“Introducing a further step cannot be in the patient’s interest, especially when the proposed additional approval mechanism potentially adds five working days to the patient pathway.”

Source Article HSJ

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

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