QiO toolkit updated
A revised version of the Quality in Optometry (QiO) Toolkit has been released to reflect the recent amendments to the NHS Primary Care Commissioning Contract Compliance Framework.
16 December 2011, Optometry today
Primary Care Commissioning recommends changes in joint working
The NHS Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) has recommended some changes in the joint working initiatives of pharmaceutical companies and clinical commissioning.
2 December 2011, Top News Arab Emirates
NHS urge improved joint working with Pharma
Joint working with pharmaceutical companies should be "explicitly" positioned as an enabler of clinical commissioning, according to the NHS.
1 December 2011, Only Medics
NHS urges CCGs over pharma joint working
Joint working with pharmaceutical companies should be "explicitly" positioned as an enabler of clinical commissioning, but its name probably needs changing, says the NHS.
1 December 2011, Pharma Times
Nurses ‘integral’ to pain management services
PCC helps with comms for Pain Summit 2011
22 November 2011, Nursing Times
Survival guide: Taking over PCT finances
GPs need an overview of how PCT finances work to ensure a smooth handover to CCGs.
14 November 2011, Pulse
Moving to fairer funding and standardised services for GP practices
A PCT has won agreement from most of its 94 PMS and GMS GP practices to accept an expanded set of “core” and “extended” services in their contracts, and reduce variation in their funding.
2 November 2011, HSJ (log in required)
Commissioning, competition and conflict
The new landscape introduced into primary care with the publication of last year’s Health Bill will create new dynamic relationships between individual GP surgeries and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and between surgeries and any qualified providers (AQPs).
14 October 2011, Management in Practice Number 26 Autumn 2011 Newsletter
Room at the top?
As clinical commissioning groups get off the ground in England, many practice managers are taking up positions on the executive boards – while others feel they have been ignored.
14 October 2011, Management in Practice Number 26 Autumn 2011 Newsletter
PCC events in the week
A breath of fresh air – oxygen in the home
Working in partnership for better business and health outcomes
13 October 2011,The week
CCGs prompt GPs to work together
The development of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) is spurring on general practices to "become team players", a survey suggests.
21 September 2011, Management in Practice
Practice managers ready to take a lead role in CCGs
Practices rate working together and developing relationships with other hospital doctors and clinicians among their top priorities in the run-up to commissioning, a study by the PCC has revealed.
21 September 2011, Practice Business
PCC events in the week
PCC Social enterprise event and Working in partnership for better health and business outcomes event are featured in last week’s edition of the week.
8 September 2011, The Week
Experts open one-stop shop for commissioning intelligence
Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) has teamed up with NHS library and knowledge services (LKS) and South East Coast Quality Observatory to offer commissioners free access to a one-stop shop for commissioning intelligence.
18 August 2011, The Week
Patient Engagement - Get the local community on side
Effective involvement of patients in commissioning cannot start too soon, says Dr Mike Warburton.
4 August 2011, GP online
Quality standards for dermatology
The standards are intended for use in any service that provides care for people with skin conditions.
27 July 2011, Pulse
Standards aim to improve care for millions with skin diseases
Commissioners and providers should involve patients and the public in decisions about the services provided for the millions of people with a skin disease, standards published this week emphasise.
27 July 2011, Talkeczema
Standards aim to improve care for millions with skin diseases
Commissioners and providers should involve patients and the public in decisions about the services provided for the millions of people with a skin disease, standards published this week emphasise.
27 July 2011, Talkhealth
Letter to BMJ promoting Networks
Richard Griffiths, consultant anaesthetist has written to the BMJ promoting NHS Networks.
20 July 2011, BMJ
Viewpoint: GP commissioners and local authorities By Regina Shakespeare
Regina Shakespeare has advice on working with local authorities' health overview and scrutiny committees.
22 June 2011, GP Magazine
PCC toolkit takes the effort out of patient DES
Step by step guide and online survey tool cut workload for practice staff
24 May 2011, Practice Management Network
What the new QOF targets mean for commissioning
New QOF targets announced last month reward GPs for their commissioning roles for the first time.
21 May 2011, Pulse (Log in required)
DH relaxes rules on QOF referral targets
GPs will be offered a workaround so they can earn points under the QOF’s new quality and productivity indicators without hitting requirements to the letter after officials admitted the targets were unworkable in some areas
27 April 2011, Pulse
GPs to register up to 15 separate services as CQC workload spirals
GPs face even greater workload than dentists under the Care Quality Commission’s registration scheme after it emerged practices would have to register extra services they provide separately under its complex red tape.
27 April 2011, Pulse
Social enterprise event promises to demystify the Right to Provide
The newly announced Right to Provide (R2P) initiative promises to stimulate a new wave of providers run by front-line staff and capable of delivering innovative, responsive and flexible services.
20 April 2011, RISE
Event explores opportunities created by Right to Provide
Bob Ricketts, Director of System Management and New Enterprise at the Department of
Health, will explain what the new ‘Right to Provide’ (R2P) means for social enterprise at the
Primary Care Commissioning social enterprise event in Manchester on 12 May.
14 April 2011, The Week
Social enterprise event promises to demystify the Right to Provide
The newly announced Right to Provide (R2P) initiative promises to stimulate a new wave of providers run by front-line staff and capable of delivering innovative, responsive and flexible services.
11 April 2011, Social Enterprise Live
Serving the public services
NHS Networks birthday
4 April 2011, Public Service Options
Developing effective partnerships between GPs and councils
How can GP commissioners and local authorities develop effective health and
wellbeing boards?
31 March 2011, Local Government Chronicle
Report to announce the PCC social enterprise event, May 12
PCC tackles thorny issues in health event for social enterprises
24 March 2011, Social Enterprise Magazine
NHS local innovation expo
NHS Networks features at 03:10 in the video
16 March 2011, NHS Local
Referral management: not just a numbers game
Good referral management doesn’t opt for blanket restrictions on access to hospital, but instead relies on good communication and data analysis.
2 March 2011, Pulse
NHS Networks site aims to help commissioners
A new website developed by NHS Networks is helping commissioners by bringing together useful information in one place.
11 February 2011,Nursing Times
Seven steps to driving down prescribing costs
Practices will need to deliver savings for consortia. Kym Lowder provides a guide to cutting bills.
9 February 2011, Pulse
Commissioning Zone
NHS Networks has launched the Commissioning Zone, an online information portal designed to make it easier for commissioners to find the information they need and to connect them with colleagues via the NHS Networks hub.
7 February 2011, GP and Practice Team Bulletin
Key players in an unfolding drama
Practice managers have an essential strategic role to play in clinical commissioning.
2 February 2011, Management in Practice
NHS Networks site aims to help commissioners’
A new website developed by NHS Networks is helping commissioners by bringing together useful information in one place.
31 January 2011, HSJ
US health insurer pulls out of UK
KPMG has teamed up with the National Association of Primary Care (a grouping of family doctor enthusiasts for GP commissioning), United Health and PCC
17 January 2011, Financial Times (Subscriber content)
KPMG Partnership for Commissioning wins contract to help GPs become commissioners
The KPMG Partnership for Commissioning has won one of the first contracts to support the development of the early waves of pathfinders across NHS London
17 January 2011, NAPC
KPMG wins London commissioning role
NHS London has awarded a contract to professional services firm KPMG to help develop GP commissioning consortia pathfinders in the capital.
17 January 2011, EHI primary care
KPMG to aid London GP commissioning groups
London's strategic health authority has awarded a contract to help develop GP commissioning consortia pathfinders in the city
14 January 2011, Guardian
NHS signs up KPMG to support GP commissioning pathfinders
NHS managers have signed a landmark deal with a group of private companies and commissioning experts to provide support to the first wave of pathfinder GP consortia.
14 January 2011, Pulse
NHS London buys in support for consortia development
NHS London has contracted a KPMG-led partnership to support consortia development.
13 January 2011, Health Service Journal (Subscriber content)
KPMG Partnership for Commissioning wins contract to help GPs become commissioners
The KPMG Partnership for Commissioning has won one of the first contracts to support the development of the early waves of pathfinders across NHS London and help them to become commissioners of services in the future.
13 January 2011, KPMG
Changing clinical behaviour
Clinical interface managers helped Cumbria GPs to reduce non-urgent referrals
GP magazine, 13 December 2010
Free commissioning DVD
GP commissioners can get their hands on a new free DVD to help prepare for the big changes ahead.
Pulse today/Practical Commissioning, 13 December 2010
Better joined-up working
Working together is vital for consortia and local authorities
GP magazine, 3 December 2010
GP – led NHS – Top tips on workforce issues
What roles will you and practice team take on when GP commissioning starts?
AllBusiness.com, 2 December 2010
Online “commissioning zone” launched to pool service information
Information and resources for NHS commissioners have been brought together in a single web resource, launched by NHS Networks.
PJ online, 1 December 2010
NHS Networks extends information sharing
NHS Networks has developed an online portal to enable commissioners to gain access to information and resources without having to waste time trawling the internet.
Computing, 25 November 2010
Wise up, get smart
GP commissioning may be a few years off, but practice managers should be making tentative steps now to ensure they are prepared for the challenge.
Practice Business magazine, 25 November 2010
Get consortia talking to practices
It is vital to get the balance right between support and contract management
GP magazine, 23 November 2010
PCC event management service opens for business
Primary Care Commissioning (PCC), a leading provider of trusted, practical support to commissioners and providers, today announces the launch of its event management service, PCC Events.
Event Industry News, 15 November 2010
GP-led NHS – Top tips on workforce issues
The need for GP consortia to build from the practice upwards is a consistent theme from the government.
Healthcare republic, 12 November 2010
NHS commissioning support provider launches events arm despite cuts
PCC CIC launches event management service PCC Events.
Event magazine, 11 November 2010
Top tips on workforce issues
What roles will you and practice team take on when GP commissioning starts?
GP Magazine, 11 November 2010
Practice managers ‘forgotten’ by the white paper
Practice managers are being wrongly excluded from involvement in the formation of commissioning consortia.
Management in Practice, 21 October 2010
Small is beautiful in the NHS
The traditional view of the NHS has been that control must be exercised from the top down or financial chaos will ensue.
Public Finance, 22 September 2010
'PCT managers should not have a legal right to transfer to similar roles in GP commissioning groups, according to a survey by NHS Networks'.
The online NHS networking site questioned 257 primary care trust and strategic health authority mangers, GPs and PBC group managers.
In Pharm, 8 September 2010
'GPs don’t want to inherit PCT managers for new consortia'
GPs strongly oppose the idea of PCT managers automatically being granted the right to walk into similar posts in the new consortia, reveals a poll published last week
On Medica, 6 September 2010
Devolution of the optical GOS budget to PCTs puts pressure on them to get value
PCC have circulated a paper to every PCT highlighting the importance of improved scrutiny on claims, greater understanding of the complex GOS contract and to look for a better return on investment from those contracted to provide the service.
Primary Health Net, 20 August 2010
PMS funded diverted to pay for polysystems
NHS managers are planning to scrap growth funding for PMS practices across London and use the cash to fund a new network of 100 ‘polysystems’ – the successors to Lord Darzi’s polyclinics.
Pulse Today, 5 May 2010
PMS crackdown flouted data rules
The nationwide crackdown on PMS GPs pay was triggered by advice from Department of Health experts which flouted rules on openness of public bodies and data protection, Pulse can reveal.
Pulse Today, 5 May 2010
NHS bosses plot to prevent PMS GPs getting GMS uplift
NHS managers have drawn up secret plans to stop PMS GPs from getting the 2.29% pay award agreed for their GMS colleagues today, unless they take on additional work, Pulse can reveal.
Pulse Today, 5 May 2010
Secret documents pave way for new PMS crackdown
The Department of Heath's policy implementation arm, Primary Care Contracting, has armed trusts with new advice on more strictly monitor GP compliance to contracts.
Pulse Today, 5 May 2010
Doctors told to give priority to Gypsies
Gypsies and travellers should be given priority in NHS hospitals and GP surgeries, according to Government guidance.
The Telegraph, 11 February 2010
Clunky GP contracts raise questions on quality
There are huge variations in what different PCTs pay for the same services, yet there is no detectable correlation between cost and quality or patient satisfaction.
HSJ (login required), 8 October 2009
Choice of male or female GP still unequal
Variations between primary care trusts in the quality of their GP services and how easily patients can access them remain stark.
HSJ (login required), 1 October 2009
PCTs neglect value in practice
Primary care trusts are doing little to tackle the huge variation in the cost and quality of their GP services, the results of a confidential internal NHS survey suggest.
HSJ (login required), 1 October 2009
PCT guidance reveals plan for GP investment of £50m
Practices that are performing poorly in the patient experience survey will be invited to submit business cases to PCTs, explaining how they would use extra resources to improve access and patient satisfaction.
Healthcare Republic, 1 October 2009