NHS Commissioning Board factsheet
Details which services will be commissioned by CCGs. A useful document that outlines which aspects of care will be commissioned by CCGs, the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England. Keep for reference.
1 August
NICE publishes draft clinical indicators for Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF)
The list proposes targets in eight areas including reducing the number of people with dementia on antipsychotics, emergency admissions for conditions that do not normally require hospital admission and the proportion of patients ‘feeling supported to manage their own condition'.
The final COF is being developed by the NHS Commissioning Board.
9 August
Sir David Nicholson moves to end blacklisting of NICE-approved drugs
A letter from NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson to primary care organisations announced that CCGs will have to publish a list of all the treatments they provide on the NHS by April next year and will not be allowed to add any restrictions on NICE-approved treatments.
Sir David warned he would be changing NHS contracts from April 2013 to include a standard clause ensuring that new drugs approved by NICE cannot be blocked.
He said PCT clusters and CCG leaders will have to publish information online in a ‘clear' and ‘transparent' way that sets out which NICE Technology Appraisals are included in their formularies.
13 August
PCTs told they will lose operational responsibility from 1 October, after management transition is brought forward
A letter from Sir David Nicholson to PCT and SHA managers announced that they will lose their operational responsibility for the NHS from October, a full six months earlier than planned.
Senior management from new organisations the NHS Commissioning Board and the NHS Trust Development Authority will be handed management responsibility for existing organisations from 1 October to ensure ‘stability and resilience' through the transition and to avoid a leadership vacuum.
But PCTs and SHAs will retain formal statutory functions, accountability, budgets and employment of staff until their official abolition date in April 2013.
15 August
First set of yearly comparative Patient Reported Outcomes Measures data published
This data, released by the NHS Information Centre, showed wide variation between providers in benefits patients report after undergoing common surgical procedures, such as hip and knee replacements and varicose vein surgery.
17 August
Monitor publishes consultation on how providers of NHS services will be licensed
The consultation, Protecting and promoting patients' interests – licensing providers of NHS services, set out how a legal framework would be established for the regulator to set and enforce rules for NHS providers to protect and promote patients' interests.
A consultation on the document runs until 22 October.
Sue McNulty is editor of Practical Commissioning. Follow Sue on Twitter @praccommed
