Learning from practice

East Devon PCT has all of its 13 practices fully signed up to practice based commissioning (PBC) for 06/07.



Its approach has been to develop a flexible scheme where practices are free to take control of their budgets at a time and level which feels right for them.



The PCT is geographically widespread with one main acute provider for a population of 118,000. For the last three years there has been a drive towards improving access for patients through developing more local services closer to where people live. Other factors have also strengthened the case for moving toward PBC, including a growth trend in secondary care activity and the newly acquired foundation trust status of the acute hospital - meaning Payment by Results has been operating in full since April 2004.



Says Beverly Stretton-Brown, service development manager at the PCT; “Payment by Results does create a more appropriate environment for PBC because funding will follow the patient,” adds Beverly, “But at the same time this means it’s more important than ever for practices and the PCT to understand what secondary care services we are using and what these are costing us. “GPs are in the best position to know what services their patients need. PBC is about enabling, empowering and incentivising them to think more about referral patterns, understand the underlying cost implications and use this data to explore how things can be done differently to benefit the patient.



Contacts:

Beverly Stretton-Brown, service development manager

E-mail: beverly.stretton-brown@eastdevon-pct.nhs.uk

Cindy Flatt, practice based commissioning lead

E-mail: cindy.flatt@eastdevon-pct.nhs.uk



Source: Desk research for NHS Institute by Matrix Consulting