Budget-setting basics (1 CPD hour)

Take a Practical Commissioning CPD module on setting budgets, worth a suggested 1 credit.

Read the following features on budget-setting and reflect on the questions listed below:

1/ How budgets will be set for GP commissioning – Practical Commissioning, September 2010

2/ How a PCT got its practice budgets within 5% of fair shares - Practical Commissioning, May 2008

3/ Is there such a thing as a fair shares budget? – Practical Commissioning, May 2008

4/ Where next for real budgets? – Practical Commissioning, April 2010

Questions to reflect on:

1/ How has my practice budget been affected by the introduction of the fair shares formula?

2/ Why is it so important to get a budget right in commissioning and who is involved locally in budget setting?

3/ What is the pitfall of setting budgets solely based on historical expenditure?]

4/ What is the pitfall of budgets receiving too much cash under fair shares?

Now record your general learning points about how budgets are set for GP commissioners, based on what you have read, and complete the action points you will take to further enhance your knowledge before downloading your certificate

To collect and download your certificate, please click the button below.

Suggested action points – you may delete and substitute with your own if you prefer

1/ Find out how the fair shares formula has affected local practice budgets
2/ Fund out who is involved locally in budget-setting process and how my practice would feed into that process if it wanted to
3/ Speak to a GP commissioning chair or PCT manager about what will happen in the future with budget setting locally for both practice and consortium budgets