Health Management and Policy Alert

Government outsourcing: what has worked and what needs reform?

Institute for Government - 

This report ranks which have been outsourced successfully and which need reform. The report also shows that consecutive governments have overstated the benefits of outsourcing. Senior politicians regularly claim outsourcing can still deliver 20–30 per cent savings but there is no evidence to support this.

• Report
• More detail

Healthy Living Pharmacy: holding a health promotion event/campaign

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee -
To achieve and to maintain Healthy Living Pharmacy Level 1 status, pharmacy teams are required to meet 27 quality criteria. Holding health promotion events/campaigns and documenting details of these are a way for pharmacy teams to demonstrate that they meet several of these criteria. This briefing provides guidance for community pharmacy contractors and their teams on holding a health promotion event/campaign.

• Briefing
• Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee - news

How to become a Healthy Living Pharmacy Level 1

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee -
This briefing provides an overview of how to become a Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) Level 1 via the self-assessment route. The briefing gives details of the HLP framework, describes the role of HLP's in the health and care system, and outlines the ways in which contractors can achieve HLP Level 1 status.

• Briefing
• Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee - news

Primary medical care commissioning internal audit ratings for delegated clinical commissioning groups as of 31 June 2019

NHS England - 
This document is the first cohort of new ratings on delegated CCGs, highlighting where internal audits are finding CCGs are performing delegated primary medical care commissioning really well, but also helping to identify where improvements can be made.

• Report

CCG 360 stakeholder survey 2018/19

NHS England - 
A central part of the CCG assessment process is the CCG 360 Stakeholder Survey, the findings of which are presented in this report. A key aim of the survey is to enable NHS England to assess whether CCGs are operating effectively in partnership with key organisations in the local health system to commission safe, high quality and sustainable services.

• Report

Community commissioning shaping public services through people power

New Local Government Network - 

This report argues that if there is to be a move to a preventative system in public services, communities need to take on more responsibility for their own health and well-being. The commissioning of public services is one of the most important functions of the public sector but also one that is deeply embedded within the institution. The report makes the case for why the process needs to be led by citizens and service users not public sector professionals. Importantly, it also explains in detail how this shift is happening in practice.

• Report
• More detail

The changing face of clinical commissioning

NHS Clinical Commissioners -
This report is based on interviews with leaders from nine CCGs in England, highlighting the work that is taking place across the country to drive through innovations and improvements across health and social care – often in partnership with other organisations. It argues that the perspective brought by clinical commissioners – the clinical expertise, collaborative working with provider colleagues, and an understanding of the population’s needs in the system in which they operate – are essential components to developing integrated services that are fit for purpose and get the best value for each NHS pound.

• Report
• NHS Clinical Commissioners - news

Working well together: evidence and tools to enable co-production in mental health commissioning

Royal College of Psychiatrists -
This resource was commissioned by NHS England to support delivery of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and the NHS Long Term Plan. This document aims to improve local strategic decisions about, and the provision of, current and future mental health services for children, young people, adults and older adults. This includes people who are not in contact with mental health services, because of existing barriers to access or for other reasons. This document also talks about co-production with people who are in at-risk populations.

• Guidance
• Royal College of Psychiatrists - publications

A summary of the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) 2019/20

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee -

At the end of January 2019, NHS England published a five-year framework for GP services agreed. One of the major changes in the contract is the introduction of the Network Contract as a Directed Enhanced Service (DES). This will enable general practice to take a leading role in every primary care network It goes live on 1st July 2019. The briefing highlights aspects of relevance to local pharmaceutical committees and community pharmacy contractors.

• Briefing
• More detail

Please procure responsibly: the state of public service commissioning

Reform - 

By examining the complex systems used by central government and local councils to procure public services, the report explains how public services are delivered and by who. It identifies several key areas where weak or underperforming elements in the commissioning cycle have led to failings in the procurement of public services and suggests potential solutions to some of these challenges.

• Report
• More detail