World class commissioning of pharmacy services
PCTs are looking to further improve patient care, save money, reduce hospital admissions, improve primary care services and demonstrate a commitment to commissioning services from a wider range of providers.
One of the keys to achieving on all these fronts is
the ability to know precisely what your PCT wants pharmacy to deliver. PCTs
that make smart decisions to commission “world class community pharmacy
services” will do well into the future but many are still fine tuning how it is
to be achieved, says Julie Wood, NHS Alliance National Director of Practice
Based Commissioning.
“With a pharmacy White Paper, changes to legislation, a review of the pharmacy contract and a political drive to increase the role of the community pharmacy there are significant implications for PCTs which senior management must be aware of and embrace in their planning,” she said.
To help PCTs move forward the NHS Alliance has teamed with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and the Department of Health to give PCTs a blueprint to “excelling at pharmaceutical services commissioning.” Two conferences are planned for PCT CEOs, Directors of Commissioning and Senior Commissioning staff involved in Primary Care Commissioning, Heads of Medicines Management, LPC Members and Secretaries. The first conference will take place November 16 at the Macdonald Hotel in Manchester. The second will be held in central London on November 20th.
Wood said, “The Health Minister has written to all PCT CEOs encouraging the commissioning of services from community pharmacy; the conferences, which include senior DH speakers, are designed to help PCTs improve the commissioning of pharmaceutical services. These conferences are aimed at the strategic level providing a clear understanding of community pharmacy and how it can be integrated into primary care commissioning.”
Speakers from the Department of Health include, Dr David Colin-Thomé, DH National Primary Care Director, Felicity Cox, lead negotiator for NHS Employers, and Jonathan Mason, DH National Clinical Director for Primary Care and Community Pharmacy. Sue Sharpe, CEO of PSNC, will discuss “On the road to becoming world class – the future direction and opportunities for community pharmacy.”
The Manchester conference will include three case studies demonstrating effective commissioning of community pharmacy services:
- Paul Jerram, Head of Medicines
Management, NHS Isle of Wight, will outline how to use MURs to reduce hospital
admissions and spend.
- Karen O’Brien, Associate Director,
Primary Care Commissioning, at NHS Manchester, will focus on Cardiovascular
Disease and Vascular Risk Assessments.
- Tee Weinronk, Community Pharmacy lead, NHS Wirral, will focus attention on Alcohol screening and brief intervention services.
At the London conference the case studies will be:
- “Bringing together sex and drugs
(without the rock and roll),” presented by Kevin Noble, Community Pharmacy
lead, NHS Isle of Wight.
- Community pharmacy supply of urgent
repeat medicines using a Patient Group Direction, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
PCT, presented by Bridget Sampson Associate Director of Prescribing and
Pharmaceutical Services.
- Vaccinations and Community Pharmacy, presented by Donal Markey, Acting Deputy Head of Medicines Management at Westminster PCT.
