Practitioners with special interests - Update: October 2006
The White Paper on care outside of hospitals has renewed interest in implementing specialist services based in primary care and work has begun to update the national guidance documentation on commissioning services involving PwSIs. The aim is to produce a new streamlined suite of linked documentation and introduce an overarching single document to guide commissioners though the process. Frameworks for specific professions and individual clinical specialities will sit alongside this. The Department of Health has commissioned this work through NHS Primary Care Contracting (PCC); a steering group and wider stakeholder group will oversee the workstream. By early 2007 a single simplified suite of resources is expected to be available via the PCC website to commissioners and the NHS.
What will the new suite of guidance include?
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A new, simplified, overarching guide for commissioners wishing to commission extended services based in primary care. This resource will encompass key issues and processes common to all professionals and will replace earlier generic guidance.
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An accreditation guide for GPwSIs and Pharmacists with special interests. Work on this has been led by Dr Matt Walsh and is nearing completion.
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National guidance on the appointment of pharmacists with special interests (also nearing completion).
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Frameworks for specific professions and individual specialties will need to be updated and linked appropriately into this guide for commissioners.
Where new guidance becomes available which replaces an existing resource, the latter will be removed from PCC and NHS Networks websites. In the interim, users should be aware that some existing PwSI guidance was published up to five years ago - it is this guidance that is undergoing significant updating. This will need to be taken into account should any PCT be using the original guidance to commission a new service prior to release of the new information.
For further information contact Beth.taylor@southwarkpct.nhs.uk (National Project Lead, Pharmacists with Special Interests, Primary Care Contracting Team) or John.taylor@dh.gsi.gov.uk