GP commissioning consortia

Dr Richard HolmesGP Consortia Transition LeadNHS Bournemouth and Poole

GP consortia• By April 2013 GP commissioning consortia supported by

and accountable to a new independent NHS Commissioning Board

• Statutory bodies to have separate identity from member practices

• Each practice will be a member of the consortia• Majority of GPs will continue focusing on providing

primary care• Membership of consortia will be flexible, with consortia

able to expand, contract, dissolve or merge.

Governance

• Accountable Officer who need not be a GP or clinician– Responsible for continuous improvements in the quality of

services it commissions– Complies with financial duties– Provides good value for money.

• Strong clinical leadership is critical• Have a published constitution• Consortia will be required to make remuneration

arrangements and commissioning plans public• Will need to hold an open annual general meeting and to

publish an annual report showing the results of patient and public consultations.

Patient involvement

• Commitment to greater patient and public involvement within emerging GP consortia

• A duty on GP consortia and the NHS Commissioning Board to ensure that people who may receive a service are involved in its planning and development

• Role of Healthwatch will strengthen patient voice

Accountability

• Strong focus on improving the quality and outcomes of care for patients

• Statutory obligation to seek to reduce inequalities in access to healthcare

• Commissioning Outcomes Framework to hold consortia to account for promoting improvements in quality

• Manage within allocated budgets

Pathfinders

• Test out design concepts for GP commissioning and explore how emerging consortia will best be able to undertake their future functions

• Locally considering COPD, diabetes and musculoskeletal services

Issues for consideration

• Current model of healthcare unsustainable• People living with conditions for longer• Need to consider a different approach• Prevention is important – behaviour

change• Financial pressures continue• Management of local expectations as we

think differently about services

Changes

• Any willing provider

• Outcomes rather than outputs

• Payment by results

• Localism and Big society

• Duty to engage patients

• Reduce health inequalities

Priorities • Ensuring patients at the heart of the

service

• Considering new models of care

• Facilitating behaviour change

• Patient pathways/clinical groupings

• Thinking differently for better outcomes

• Wider engagement in the community