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Commissioning Outcomes Framework: reaction

‘This will enable the groups responsible for commissioning NHS care to be held to account, and will ultimately drive up the standards of healthcare delivered.'

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE

 

‘We're pleased to recommend this robust set of indicators for potential inclusion in the first Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF), and hope that they will help the new CCGs to secure NHS services for their populations that will lead to improved health outcomes.'

Professor Danny Keenan, COF advisory committee chair at NICE

 

‘Our position has always been that the quality premium is unethical because one of the rules says that you can't receive any money unless you are in financial balance. You have to cut services to get paid. It's unethical. We've told the Government repeatedly that we're done with it.

The Commissioning Outcome Framework is seemingly nothing to do with this but in reality has everything to do with this. Some of the indicators are more problematic than others. Many are population dependent, for things that GP's or commissioners can't influence.

But we will work with the Government to make these indicators as good as they can be under the understanding that the basis for which they are collected - the linking to financial targets- are wrong.'

Dr Laurence Buckman, GPC chair

 

‘Improving outcomes is not just about the inputs outlined in this framework. It is about looking in the round to consider what is the best action – from public health right through to community services – to improve the health of local communities.

‘We cannot stress enough how important it is that CCGs are given the time and space to develop bold and innovative ways of improving the quality of care that patients receive and the health of their local populations.'

Dr Michael Dixon, interim president of NHS Clinical Commissioners

 

‘We are particularly pleased that there are indicators for the rates of complications, lower limb amputations, basic care checks and readmission rates for ketoacidosis. These indicators must now be used to drive up standards that the National Audit Office has recognised are currently unacceptably low and so start to give people with diabetes the healthcare they need.'

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK

 

‘We are shocked it has been recommended that the NHS Commissioning Outcomes Framework – which will be used to hold the newly reformed NHS to account – will not include key cancer survival indicators. This means commissioners will lack strong incentives to improve cancer survival rates.

‘If the NHS wants to fulfil its ambition of saving 5,000 additional lives from cancer by 2014/15, then key cancer survival indicators must be included in the framework.'

Ciarán Devane, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support