2014-02-20

Gateway reference number: 01205

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Contents

 

Latest news from Expo14

Register your place at Health and Care Innovation Expo 2014

NHS Commissioning Assembly News:

Find out more about the Commissioning Assembly at Expo14

Strategic issues:

CCG operational and strategic planning

Launch of Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework process

CCGs to lead the charge for Change

NHS England consult on managing performers and inclusion on the performers list

Practical guidance on safe, compassionate care for frail older people published

Improving dental care and good oral health – a call to action

Parity of Esteem: transformative ideas for commissioners

Digital First – pathology report

Operational issues:

Renegotiating service level agreements guidance produced

NHS England launches Directory of Development Support for CCGs

The NHS111 National Business Continuity policy provides guidance on arrangements in the event of service failure

Commissioning care pathways for victims of sexual assault

Nominate your CKD lead for the upcoming National CKD Audit

Other News:

Take action now to protect services

Sustainable Development Strategy launched

Improving autism care – the NICE Quality Standard

Early identification of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

New Healthy and Sustainable Catering Guidance published by PHE

Could you benefit from commissioning services from arts and cultural organisations?

Health and Wellbeing Peer Challenge

Further elective surgery commissioning guides published

Pricing Advisory Groups – Chair’s and members required

GP practice level reporting 

Events and Campaigns:

Adequate language support will help people to make choices and ensure health services are responsive to patients’ needs

CCG engagement event – 2 April 2014 – central London

Measuring the impact of volunteering: volunteering is on the national health and social care agenda – is it on yours? – 20 March 2014

Service Level Agreement renegotiation workshop

Letters to CCGs:

NHS 111 update

Secretary of State for Health writes to NHS staff on changing culture in hospitals

 

About this bulletin

 

Latest news from Expo14

 

Register your place at Health and Care Innovation Expo 2014

Full speaker and Pop-up University programmes are now online including the Commissioning Assembly sessions (read below). Register today and design your personalised schedule. Insights into innovation that can be practically applied, collaborative and interactive sessions with colleagues delivering effective practice, and the latest thinking in transformation, innovation and policy are all found under one roof. There is something for everyone with Camp Expo, Expo Fringe, the Living Room Stage, NHS Change Day, Dr Kate Granger Compassion Awards and more.

With over 80 seminars and workshops organised around key themes, the Pop-up University aims to provide the knowledge and tools you need to make a positive change in your own organisation including patient data, the ‘House of Care’ and what patient-centered coordinated care looks and feels like, commissioning for better outcomes, technology to improve health and wellbeing, best practice people participation and urgent care.

If you are a patient leader, public or patient lay member of a CCG you may qualify for a funded place. Read more here.

 

NHS Commissioning Assembly News

 

Find out more about the Commissioning Assembly at Expo14

The NHS Commissioning Assembly will be exhibiting at the Health and Care Innovation Expo 2014 on 3 and 4 March. Please do come and visit our stand to find out more about the future of the Assembly including how you can become more involved in our work.

The annual Expo event will also give members and the wider commissioning community a fantastic learning and networking opportunity. This will include short talks from our working groups, a session from our quality working group as well as tutorials and other networking events in the NHS university space.

 

Strategic Issues

 

CCG operational and strategic planning

On 14 February 2014, CCGs submitted the first draft of their plans. We know that a significant amount of effort has taken place across all CCGs and their teams to make this happen and we really appreciate the work that has gone into developing plans.

Area teams lead for NHS England on the assurance of CCG plans and will work with you to ensure the best quality services can be delivered within available resources. A critical part of that will be area teams sharing their direct commissioning plans with CCGs so that we can ensure pathways are developed to reflect patient need.

Following feedback from area teams, final CCG operational and financial plans will need to be submitted by 4 April 2014 together with the first draft of 5 year strategic plans.

 

Launch of Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework process

On 24 February, NHS England will launch the first stage of the procurement process to accredit the best quality commissioning support suppliers as part of the Lead Provider Framework. The initial part of the assessment process will test the track record and experience of providers against a range of organisational criteria (such as customer responsiveness, governance and partnering arrangements) and service specific criteria across each of the service lines within the end-to-end commissioning support lot and the specialist decision support lot. There has been significant engagement with CCGs and other commissioners to date and we want this to continue as we look ahead to the evaluation of both the pre-qualification stage and invitation to tender stage. Some CCGs have already come forward to sit on the evaluation panel but we would welcome volunteers from other CCGs.

If you would like to get involved please email us. If you want to find out more on the framework, look at some of the high level criteria as it stands now ahead of the 24th, and download the recently published frequently asked questions visit the web page.

 

CCGs to lead the charge for Change

CCGs are expected to be at the forefront of the improvement agenda in the run up to NHS Change Day 2014.

The 3 March event looks set to dwarf the 2013 push, when 189,000 pledges to improve care were made across all parts of the NHS.

Commissioner involvement to date has ranged from simple promises to communicate better with colleagues, to a CCG in Warwickshire that sent a team of 50 people out to a local shopping centre after pledging to gain more meaningful feedback on improving local GP services.

 

NHS England consult on managing performers and inclusion on the performers list

In April 2013, NHS England produced documents for management of concerns for primary care performers. These documents are now being refined in light of feedback from users and stakeholders. A revised version will cover the process for considering an application onto the performers lists, and the management of concerns, for those few where issues arise that require further consideration in relation to the initial or on-going performers list status.

A formal consultation has now been launched, closing Thursday 20 March. We welcome CCGs to provide their views on whether the proposed framework is practical and proportionate. In particular, do the changes provide assurance to patients and the public that appropriate steps are taken when allowing new practitioners to work and managing the situation when concerns arise.

 

Practical guidance on safe, compassionate care for frail older people published

NHS England has published the commissioning guidance for implementing a care pathway for frail older people.

If frail older people are supported in living independently and understanding their long-term conditions, and educated to manage them effectively, they are less likely to reach crisis, require urgent care support and experience harm. The document summarises the evidence of the effects of an integrated pathway of care for older people and suggests how a pathway can be commissioned effectively using levers and incentives across providers.

 

Improving dental care and good oral health – a call to action

In support of ‘The NHS belongs to the people – a call to action’ NHS England is stimulating the debate around the sustainability of NHS dental services by launching a call to action for NHS dentistry on 19 February. It will conclude on 16 May.

Our overall aims are to improve the oral health of the population, increase access to NHS dental services and reduce financial inefficiencies.

This process of engagement has the support of our national partners including the British Dental Association.

The slide pack and questionnaire is available here.

 

Parity of Esteem: transformative ideas for commissioners

Everyone Counts: Planning for Patient 2014/15 to 2018/19, published in December 2013, describes NHS England’s ambition for the years ahead and its ongoing commitment to focus on better outcomes for patients. It describes the vision for transformed, integrated and more convenient services, set within the context of significant financial challenge.

As part of the suite of tools that accompany the planning guidance that assist commissioners with their planning considerations to maximise the best possible outcomes for their local communities Parity of Esteem: transformative ideas for commissioners, outlines how CCGs can achieve parity of esteem between physical and mental health by allocating their resources differently through the provision of an evidence base, case studies and a guide to managing, securing and evaluating services.

 

Digital First – pathology report

NHS England has published the ‘The Digital First’ pathology report.

The report highlights innovation in the use of digital systems and processes used in pathology across the country.  Systems and processes which have an impact on the quality of care the NHS provides to patients; such as early diagnosis to prevent premature mortality; the care and management of long term conditions and making results visible and easy to interpret for patients.

Pathology services and commissioners are encouraged to download this to see some of the innovation highlighted in this document.

 

Operational issues

 

 

Renegotiating service level agreements guidance produced

To support CCGs in renegotiating effective SLAs with their CSU, model terms and condition wording has been developed which addresses some of the frailties in the existing arrangements. CCGs and CSUs are free to use this document as the basis for a renegotiated SLA to expire no later than April 2016. A brief checklist has also been produced to support effective renegotiation.

Following on from the success of the renegotiating SLA series of workshops held at the end of last year, we are running a further workshop on 11 March in London. Please see Events section below.

 

NHS England launches Directory of Development Support for CCGs

In response to CCG requests to make development support more visible and accessible, NHS England has launched the Directory of development support – a searchable, on-line directory of development support and networking opportunities with over 400 offers aligned to specific development needs. Users can search by specific development needs to access a variety of real tangible help such as facilitative support, expert advice, skills transfer and recommendations for improvement from across NHS, public, third and private sector organisations.  

The directory will be updated by supplier organisations on an on-going basis to reflect new and changing development needs.

For queries or feedback on the directory, please contact us.

 

The NHS111 National Business Continuity policy provides guidance on arrangements in the event of service failure

The NHS 111 service is commissioned locally and all providers are required to have robust arrangements in place for both Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. These arrangements should be evaluated and tested prior to go live through rehearsals to ensure that processes are practical and embedded into business as usual.

However, in the event of a failure in an area that may not have been predictable or previously tested, it would be deemed unacceptable for patients to not have access to NHS111 for any sustained period through failure of local business continuity arrangements. Only in these exceptional cases, should the National Business Continuity arrangements be used.

National Business Continuity allows calls to the affected area to be re-routed at a national level and shared amongst other providers that are not affected.

 

Commissioning care pathways for victims of sexual assault

NHS England Health and Justice (H&J) commissioners took over responsibility to ensure that Sexual Assault Services in England are appropriately commissioned as part of Securing Excellence in Sexual Assault Services.

In particular, NHS England H&J commissioners have budgets to commission Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC).

Many victims of sexual assault are in need of long term therapeutic support beyond that offered in a SARC. It is important for CCGs to engage with H&J commissioners to ensure that the care pathways from SARC to therapeutic care are appropriately commissioned.

Please see the list of the Health and Justice Area Team commissioning leads.

 

Nominate your CKD lead for the upcoming National CKD Audit

BMJ Informatica, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University College London (UCL) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) invites your chronic kidney disease (CKD) lead to join the national network of local audit champions, supporting a quality improvement programme commissioned by Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP).

This exciting project, to improve the identification and care of patients with CKD, reflects the clinical priority of CKD in primary care. Through the audit, CCGs will gain a better understanding of local population needs and helping them to reduce variability in CKD service provision. Practices will benefit from access to free tools to optimise the coding of CKD patients, benchmark their performance against key national indicators and improve the quality of care.

This national clinical audit is part of NHS England’s audit programme and a key quality improvement lever.

 

Other News

 

Take action now to protect services

As a commissioner you play a critical role in ensuring the continuity of services for patients in your area. Monitor can help you to protect these services if a provider gets into financial difficulty.

From 1 April 2014, if you commission services from independent providers, these services will only be protected, if you designate them as Commissioner Requested Services. We have developed comprehensive guidance and case studies to help you do this.

Please inform Monitor by 3 March of which services you have designated as CRS using the simple form on our website

 

Sustainable Development Strategy launched

A new Sustainable Development Strategy for the Health, Public Health and Social Care System 2014 – 2020 has been launched. Reducing carbon emissions, protecting natural resources, preparing communities for extreme weather events and promoting healthy lifestyles and environments are key to the strategy.

Organisations are being encouraged to develop local strategies, measure their success with regular reporting, evaluate progress, and coordinate with local Health and Well-Being Boards. The strategy includes a section on Commissioning and Procurement and examples of best practice from across the health and care system. Please see the documents and video from the launch event.

For further information please contact Charles Kitchin.

 

Improving autism care – the NICE Quality Standard

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a new quality standard to improve the quality of care and support for people with autism in England and Wales. This quality standard aims to help commissioners plan integrated care that is tailored to the needs of service users. It also provides health and social care practitioners with advice and information to work together to ensure they are delivering high quality care. NICE has also produced an implementation pack for the quality standard to help commissioners set up local autism teams and establish local autism strategies.

 

Early identification of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

To help health and social care professionals identify cases of PAD early on, NICE has produced a quality standard on the condition which covers the diagnosis and management of lower limb PAD in adults aged 18 years and over. The standard contains five measurable quality statements to help CCGs improve outcomes for patients with PAD, a common condition that affects around one fifth of people over 60.

 

New Healthy and Sustainable Catering Guidance published by PHE

New catering guidance, published by Public Health England (PHE), offers practical advice on how to make catering affordable, healthier and more sustainable.

The guidance contains useful information and tips to help those within large organisations to buy, cook and serve healthier, more sustainable food. The guidance will help organisations meet government buying standards for food and catering services and support healthier living as a result.

 

Could you benefit from commissioning services from arts and cultural organisations?

Artlift is 10 weeks of arts activity on prescription. This approach in Gloucestershire has reduced medical consultations by 27 per cent (sustained past six months). The Cultural Commissioning Programme (CCP) is offering 70 days of free practical support to two commissioning partners that want to commission outcomes from the arts and cultural sector. We can provide a range of training and practical support on outcomes based commissioning, co-design and co-production. We want to talk to potential partners who are interested in developing services for older people or mental health and wellbeing.

Applications close 5pm, 28 March 2014. See website for more information.

 

Health and Wellbeing Peer Challenge

Peer Challenge is the cornerstone of the Health and Wellbeing System Improvement Programme, with 17 being completed by March 2014. The Local Government Association (LGA) has recently refreshed the methodology to ensure it reflects the new challenges facing Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs).

The LGA is currently planning a programme of a further 15 to 20 fully subsidised peer challenges and are seeking expressions of interest in both the challenge itself and also from CCG colleagues interested in becoming peer assessors.

Expressions of interest should be submitted to Welna Bowden by Friday 28 February 2014. More information on our health and wellbeing peer challenge is available on the LGA website.

 

Further elective surgery commissioning guides published

Commissioning pathway guides for a number of areas of surgical treatment have been developed.

The programme has also developed data tools to help commissioners understand local clinical variation for the surgical procedures covered, including information on activity levels, length of stay and re-admission rates.

These commissioning guides are NICE-accredited, which guarantees their robust methodology as an assured source of information to use in decision-making. The guides are the result of a collaborative project between the Royal College of Surgeons, Surgical Specialty Associations, NHS England and Right Care.

For more information please visit the National Surgical Commissioning Centre at the Royal College of Surgeons.

 

Pricing Advisory Groups – Chair’s and members required

NHS England and Monitor have taken on responsibility for the NHS payment system from the Department of Health under rules set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (the 2012 Act).

Our long term aim is to develop a payment system that supports delivery of good quality care for patients in a sustainable way. To help us achieve this for patients, four new advisory groups are being developed to inform and advise Monitor and NHS England on the National Tariff for 2015/16, the long term strategy of the payments system, approaches on benchmarking for costing and quality and approaches to costing collection practices.

The advisory groups will include representatives from across the health sector. Monitor and NHS England welcome expressions of interest from clinical and non-clinical professionals, patient representatives, academics and other individuals who are passionate about improving patient care through the mechanisms by which we pay for it.

If you are interested in becoming a chair or member of any of the Pricing Advisory Groups, please visit the Monitor website.

 

GP Practice Level Reporting

NHS England plans to publish gross GP practice income by main category (i.e. Out of Hours, Local Enhanced Services), for the year ending 31 March 2014, subject to final discussions with the profession. CCGs must therefore be prepared to provide this information, in time for the annual audit.

For month 10 (see reporting guidance), CCGs are asked to investigate year to date costs charged to analysis 2 “default” codes or other non-practice-related codes. Where applicable, any such costs need to be reallocated to the correct GP practice analysis 2 code, and relevant subjective(s).

Detailed guidance will follow for month 11.

 

Events and Campaigns

 

Adequate language support will help people to make choices and ensure health services are responsive to patients’ needs

A series of learning events will be implemented in four CCG cluster areas, focusing on the commissioning process, where ‘quality’ is a theme running throughout the sessions. Current learning sessions are taking place in Merseyside and North West London CCG clusters and new areas will commence in April.

Participation will help CCGs, CSUs and NHS area teams with their commissioning responsibilities, and any equality objectives that have been set.

For further information please see the event page, or contact Tracey Bignall at the Race Equality Foundation.

 

CCG engagement event – 2 April 2014 – central London

To support the delivery of the children and young people (CYP) and maternity national agendas led by Dr Jacqueline Cornish, National Clinical Director for CYP and Transition and Dr Catherine Calderwood, National Clinical Director for Maternity, NHS Improving Quality are hosting a national event focusing on bringing together CCG leads and strategic clinical network (SCN) managers to discuss the national agendas and priorities for CYP, maternity, mental health (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)) and primary care.

Dr Cornish and Dr Calderwood look forward to your involvement in this event to start the dialogue in terms of collaborative working to achieve both the national priorities and importantly take into account your local priorities and challenges.

The focus and expected outcomes of the event are to

have a participative and interactive working day to develop an approach to effective collaborative working to achieve national and local priorities;

present the national agenda, priorities and expected deliverables in relation to maternity and children’s services and transition (including CAMHS);

actively listen, engage and discuss with participants the challenges from both their local delivery perspective and also share examples of what is working well and where the challenges are that we need to address;

agree a set of key practical actions to enable a collaborative way forward to commission services in these specialties.

If you are a CCG lead for these priorities we would value your contribution to this event. Please register

 

Measuring the impact of volunteering: volunteering is on the national health and social care agenda – is it on yours? – 20 March 2014

NHS England along with the Department of Health and Public Health England are supporting an event organised by CSV and the Network of National Volunteer-Involving Agencies in London.

The event will explore the King’s Fund report on “Volunteering in Health and Care” where it recommends that the critical role of volunteers in building a sustainable approach to health and social care and encourages service providers and commissioners to take a much more strategic approach towards volunteering.

Speakers include: David Buck, Senior Fellow, Kings Fund and co-author of Volunteering in Health and Care; Giles Wilmore, Director of Patient and Public Voice, NHS England; and Heidi Shute, Corporate Director, Medway Community Healthcare.

Please book your place here

 

Service Level Agreement renegotiation workshop

NHS England is running a workshop for CCGs to provide expert, independent commercial advice on where SLAs can be improved and how as part of any renegotiation.

This is a repeat of the successful regional workshops held in November and will provide CCGs with a valuable insight into how to improve the quality of their SLAs and drive more positive outcomes from their CSU relationships. This will include interactive sessions with an independent contractor with a wealth of commercial experience, model wording and supporting material.

The session will be held in central London on Tuesday 11 March from 10am until 2.00pm.

To register please contact us

 

Letters

 

NHS 111 update

This letter, from Ian Greenwood – Senior Responsible Officer for NHS 111 at NHS England, updates CCGs on NHS England’s plans for NHS 111 over the coming months, and engagement activities.  It also promotes an engagement event on NHS 111 – ‘Focus on the Future’, on 4 March 2014 in Manchester, and includes registration details.

 

Secretary of State for Health writes to NHS staff on changing culture in hospitals

Jeremy Hunt has published his latest message to NHS staff reflecting on the Francis Report one year after it was published.

 

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We have had feedback from a number of CCGs about preferred methods for communications. We will be putting in place a more systematic methodology to reach all CCGs directly. If you have any comments you would like to make on this, or indeed on the bulletin, please email the CCG bulletin mailbox.

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