Commissioning and contracting for integrated care

"Many clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have started to develop novel contracting and commissioning tools to drive more transformational and sustainable service integration. There is a range of contractual models being discussed and implemented across England. In this paper, we describe two broad frameworks that are currently being developed in five areas of the country to stimulate more integrated models of care – a prime contract and an alliance contract."

Commissioning and contracting for integrated care
R Addicott
The King's Fund
November 2014

Read more here.

Chest pain symptom scoring can improve the quality of referrals to Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic

"Chest pain symptom scoring resulted in improved GP discrimination of chest pain, improved referral quality, fewer overall referrals to RACPC and shorter patient wait times. These benefits were achieved without using additional financial resources and without the time or capital expense of training GPs."

Chest pain symptom scoring can improve the quality of referrals to Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic
K Sinhji Rathod, H Ward, F Farooqi
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3

Read more here.

Medicines optimisation prototype dashboard

“Medicines Optimisation Prototype Dashboard” brings together a range of medicines-related data in a way never previously done. We hope it will help CCGs explore how well their local populations are supported to optimise medicines use. The dashboard is presented to allow local NHS organisations to develop improvements"

Medicines optimisation - CCG prototype dashboard

NHS England

Read more here. 

Exploring variations in access to surgery among older people

"CCGs should evaluate their treatment rates across each 

procedure and seek to explain whether, and if so why, their rates are appropriate. 

CCGs should look to benchmark their own rates against those of their peers, identify 

what action is required to improve access to treatment for older patients and improve 

their assurance process through changes across the commissioning cycle."

Access all ages 2: exploring variations in access to surgery among older people

Royal College of Surgeons, Age UK
July 2014

Read more here.

Insight: getting it right (systemising commissioning)

"Systemising commissioning processes and utilising Right Care data has enabled two CCGs in Sefton to deliver improvements"

Insight: getting it right
M Cunningham
The Commissioning Review
June 2014

Read more here.

Cardiovascular disease commissioning for value focus pack

"National benchmarked data for heart disease and stroke used to understand variation across the pathway for each Clinical Commissioning Group in England to help improve cardiovascular disease commissioning"

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Commissioning for Value focus packs
Public Health England
May 2014

Access the packs and all the resources here.

Commissioning Excellence

Primary Care Commissioning's latest edition of Commissioning Excellence is now available. Read more here.

NICE support for commissioners of dementia care

"Commissioning dementia care in line with NICE guidance and standards should support commissioners to improve health and social care outcomes in line with the clinical commissioning group outcome indicator set and other national outcomes frameworks."

Access the resources here.