August 31
Quality premium revealed to be up to £5 per head
Dame Barbara Hakin, national managing director of commissioning development, told a webinar that CCGs will be given up to £5 per head of population if they achieve their targets. She added it was for CCGs to decide whether to distribute the payment to practices with caveats. Final regulations are expected before parliament this month. CCGs will receive the payment if they meet the targets set in the Commissioning Outcomes Framework and possibly on achieving financial balance.
The quality premium will be in addition to the CCG management allowance of £25 per patient.
→tinyurl.com/8c5beul
September 14
NHS Commissioning Board publishes first briefings on procurement
CCGs are responsible for procurement – they weren’t under practice-based commissioning when it fell to PCTs. The first briefing states clearly: ‘A CCG will remain accountable whether or not it appoints others to carry out activities on its behalf.’
There is no escaping having to understand procurement – even if you pay a commissioning support service to do procurement for you.
→commissioningboard.nhs.uk/2012/09/14/procure-ccgs
September 18
Most specialised services to be commissioned by NHS Commissioning Board
Ministers have accepted in full the recommendations of the Clinical Advisory Group for Prescribed Services with virtually all specialised services being handed to the NHS Commissioning Board to commission directly.
However, nine services have been earmarked for ‘early review’ in 2013/14 to see if they should be commissioned by CCGs as early as 2015.
They include neuropsychiatry; specialist neonatal care and bone-anchored hearing aid services. IVF was not considered and will be commissioned by CCGs.
→tinyurl.com/bo48w9d
September 20
Update on how Payment by Results will look in 2013/14
Monitor and the NHS Commissioning Board now sit at the PbR discussion table.
This letter from deputy NHS chief executive David Flory gives an update on how PbR will look in 2013/14.
Highlights will include a new maternity pathway payment system (see page 14 for more).
Diagnostic imaging is also to be separated from the outpatient attendance tariff to overcome the current disincentive to do scans that might benefit patients.
→tinyurl.com/bsslskt
