Gateway reference number: 02481
Download the bulletin as a PDF
Contents
Strategic issues:
Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework (LPF) – Factsheet
CCG Constitution Amendments
Operational issues – for action:
Accelerating and sharing good practice in co-commissioning to improve Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Commissioning for Value
GPs to bid for share of £100m ‘access’ fund
Internet Explorer 6 will not be compatible with new NHS e-Referral Service
The way the NHS Number is issued for newborn babies is changing
Funding to support the setting up of cascade testing services for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH)
Extension of closing date for the Carers Survey on the uptake and quality of Annual Health Checks for People with Learning Disabilities
Other news – for information:
Update from the primary care co-commissioning programme oversight group
Patient Online PDF launch
Improved Seven Day Services Self-Assessment tool now available
Demonstrating compliance with NICE guidance
Primary Care Digital Maturity Index (PCDMI) Survey
Events and campaigns:
Network for PPI Lay Members on CCG Governing Bodies
Chair, Non-Executive Director and CCG Lay Member Induction Programme, 10 – 11 December 2014
HFMA Annual Chairs Conference – 20 January 2015 – Central London
A Nation of Lifesavers – A revolution in CPR training and defibrillator awareness
Letters:
NHS Health Checks letter to CCGs and Area Teams
Strategic issues:
Commissioning Support Lead Provider Framework (LPF) – Factsheet
Evaluation has now started on the final set of bids for the LPF, which are showcasing some really interesting partnerships and supply chains. The LPF team are working with CCGs who want to use the framework when it goes live next January to secure their long term commissioning support needs from the best providers in the market.
We want to hear from more CCGs who want our support to buy, so please get in touch.
For more information about the free procurement and legal support, the benefits of LPF and the 2-3 month process of buying, look at our factsheet and step-by-step guide.
CCG Constitution Amendments
In order to support CCGs to ensure they fully engage their membership regarding constitution amendments, a decision has been made to postpone the deadline for all constitution amendments to 6 January 2015. The procedure for making an amendment is set out in: Model wording for amendments to Clinical Commissioning Groups’ constitutions.
To further support CCGs following the legislative reform order that enabled CCGs and NHS England to form joint committees from 1 October 2014, please see this letter regarding the suggested form of words for these types of constitutional amendments.
For further information please contact Keziah Halliday.
Operational issues – for action:
Accelerating and sharing good practice in co-commissioning to improve Child and Adolescent Mental Health
NHS England and the Department of Health are inviting proposals from CCGs to lead and accelerate co-commissioning arrangements for children and young people’s mental health. Grants up to £75 K are available in 2014/15 to support CCGs to take this work forward to support the local design and implementation of new models.
Expressions of interest are invited by close of play 24 November 2014.
Further information and an application form can be found on the NHS England website or
by emailing CYPMHTaskForce@dh.gsi.gov.uk
Commissioning for Value
CCGs are encouraged to explore the new Commissioning for Value ‘Pathways on a Page’ packs which have been published online.
Commissioning for Value is a partnership between NHS England, Public Health England and NHS Right Care. It helps commissioners identify priority areas which offer the best opportunities to improve healthcare for populations, working with the planning round and supporting the vision for transformation set out in the Five Year Forward View.
These packs are the latest in a series of Commissioning for Value support offers for CCGs and have been based on feedback from clinical commissioners. They provide in depth ‘pathways on a page’ for 13 patient conditions and help each CCG identify which pathways could offer the best improvement opportunities in terms of spend and outcomes.
Each CCG has also received its own pack via email.
GPs to bid for share of £100m ‘access’ fund
NHS England has launched the application process for the second wave of The Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund for GPs to bid for a share of £100m to improve and extend access to GP services for patients.
Over 7 million patients across England will benefit from the first wave of 20 pilot schemes, covering over 1,100 GP practices, with new services and increased access.
A series of webinars is scheduled to help practices develop proposals. This is an opportunity to share lessons learnt from Wave 1 which will help inform GP Wave 2 pilot applications. The webinar will include a presentation from Dr Robert Varnam, Head of General Practice Development, and followed by an open Q&A time. The webinars are scheduled for:
11 November – 19:00-20:00
19 November – 10:00-11:00
9 December – 16:00-17:00
17 December – 09:00-10:00
Applications open 29 October 2014 until 17:00 16 January 2015. Bids will need to serve a minimum population of 30,000.
Internet Explorer 6 will not be compatible with new NHS e-Referral Service
Choose and Book will be replaced by the new NHS e-Referral Service in spring 2015.
The new service has not been designed to work with unsupported versions of Internet Explorer, for example IE6 or earlier. This means users on IE6 will not be able to initiate new referrals or action/ process previous referrals made on Choose and Book. This could delay patient care or result in an absence of care.
As CCGs are responsible for commissioning the appropriate software and hardware for GP practices and other organisations they must ensure users on IE6 upgrade to IE7 or above in order to access the new service.
Organisations still using IE6 and Choose and Book should notify nhs.ers@hscic.gov.uk and IT departments should plan to upgrade affected PCs in advance of spring 2015, in line with NHS guidance issued in 2010.
The way the NHS Number is issued for newborn babies is changing
The existing NHS Numbers for Babies (NN4B) service will be decommissioned on 31 December 2014.
CCGs need to inform their organisations that they need to start preparing to use the Birth Notification Application (BNA). The BNA is now available for general use in maternity departments and will be available shortly for child health units. For more information on this including user guides please click here.
Funding to support the setting up of cascade testing services for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH)
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is pleased to announce a second round of funding for service providers, Circa £100K to £150K (maximum) is available per applicant provided the criteria for funding have been met and the case for support is justified (who must be completed by a nominated clinical lead for the FH service).
To be successful, commissioners must support the applications of service providers. CCGs are advised to attend the free conference on 24 November 2014 if you are considering supporting an application for BHF funding – you can register here for your free place.
Extension of closing date for the Carers Survey on the uptake and quality of Annual Health Checks for People with Learning Disabilities
The Learning Disability Carers Community and Karen’s Page circulated a letter and link in a previous CCG Bulletin, asking CCGs to take part in a carers survey on the uptake and quality of health checks for people with learning disabilities.
We have received a steady flow of completed surveys but are keen for more people to participate in order to understand the barriers to accessing health checks. We have extended the closing date of the survey from 31 December 2014 to 11 April 2015 to capture Annual Health Checks done in the New Year.
We are asking CCG colleagues to circulate the survey to patients with Learning Disabilities in their CCGs. The survey will give individuals with a Learning Disability and their carers the opportunity to give their reasons for non-attendance.
For further information please contact us via sue@ldcarerscommunity.org.uk or info@karentysonspage.org.
Other news – for information:
Update from the primary care co-commissioning programme oversight group
The joint CCG and NHS England primary care co-commissioning programme oversight group, co-chaired by Chief Clinical Officer for NHS Blackpool CCG Dr Amanda Doyle and the National Director for Commissioning Strategy Ian Dodge, met on 22 October 2014 to agree a number of key decisions relating to primary care co-commissioning.
Read a summary of the outcomes of the meeting.
Patient Online PDF launch
Patient Online Programme has developed an interactive Support and Resources Guide to assist CCGs in providing the tools to help general practices implement their GMS/PMS contractual requirements of online booking of appointments, online ordering of repeat prescriptions and online access to summary information held in patients’ records; to be delivered by March 2015.
The guide includes materials developed by the RCGP such as guidance and practice tools, as well as materials for patients, frequently asked questions, and regional and local support arrangements. It also offers clarification of pertinent issues such as proxy access and coercion.
For further information please contact the Patient Online Team.
Improved Seven Day Services Self-Assessment tool now available
As detailed in ‘Everyone Counts: Planning for patients 2014/15 to 2018/19’, CCGs are expected to ensure that action plans are submitted by their providers to demonstrate how they will meet all ten of the Seven Day Services Clinical Standards.
This tool helps CCGs and trusts to understand their current position, support local planning, and provide direction for service improvements and progress. It also includes an assessment of provision and progress against the requirements of the National Clinical Standards. Following feedback from early adopters, it has recently been updated and improved and can now be completed by specialty as well as an organisational level.
To access the Self-Assessment Tool, or for further information on Seven Day Services, please visit the NHS Improving Quality website.
Demonstrating compliance with NICE guidance
The NHS is legally obliged to fund and resource medicines and treatments recommended by NICE within three months of its guidance being published.
NICE has published a new statement on its website, outlining what being compliant with NICE guidance means for CCGs, and suggesting ways they can demonstrate this, including:
Local formularies, contracts, policies and clinical pathways
Targeted clinical audits of selected NICE Technology Appraisal and Highly Specialised Technologies guidance
Patient survey
Primary Care Digital Maturity Index (PCDMI) Survey
Following the item in the previous CCG Bulletin on the PCDMI Survey, we have received a lot of helpful feedback.
A general theme emerging from the feedback on the survey is that CCG and GP IT Delivery Partner respondents would like to see a separate copy of the survey questions on the Citizen Space site in order to prepare and collate any necessary information before completion.
This has now been provided on the site in a pdf format file.
For any further information please contact John Sadler.
Events and campaigns:
Network for PPI Lay Members on CCG Governing Bodies
The Patient and Public Voice Team at NHS England are working with Patient and Public Involvement Lay Members on CCG Governing Bodies to develop a supportive and sustainable network to enhance NHS England’s approach to public participation and support CCGs to deliver their statutory duties around public participation.
We are looking for six CCGs, and their PPI Lay Member, to work with us to develop this network. This will help us to ensure that the network has a strong local focus across the four NHS England commissioning regions. Facilitators will support the national and regional PPV teams to develop a strong member led network and to undertake the network’s work programme. Consideration will be given to ensuring that at least one facilitator is identified from each NHS England region with up to six facilitators in total.
To find out more or apply please visit the CCG Lay Members Network webpage.
Chair, Non-Executive Director and CCG Lay Member Induction Programme – 10 and 11 December 2014
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HMFA) recognises the crucial role that Chairs and Lay Members play in the effective governance of CCGs. HFMA therefore provides a comprehensive and high quality induction programme essential for those appointed into these important posts. The agenda introduces issues that are relevant to all NHS organisations with breakout sessions for more focused Provider/Commissioner discussions.
The next events are in Birmingham on the 10 and 11 December. Please follow the links for more information.
Understanding the NHS and its Governance
NHS Governance, Finance & Performance Management
HFMA Annual Chairs Conference – 20 January 2015 – Central London
Exclusively for NHS Chairs, this event offers a unique networking opportunity for all commissioning and provider organisations. It provides the chance to hear from a variety of prestigious and highly regarded senior leaders who will provide insight and guidance based on their direct experience. Speakers include:
Simon Stevens, Chief Executive, NHS England
Una O’Brian, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health
Sir Keith Pearson, Chair, Health Education England
Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Care Quality Commission
John Peters BSc (Hons) MBA MRAeS – Former RAF Gulf War Veteran
A Nation of Lifesavers – A revolution in CPR training and defibrillator awareness
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) launched their Nation of Lifesavers campaign on the 16 October 2014. In the UK over 30,000 attempts are made to resuscitate people from cardiac arrests occurring out of hospital, and less than one in ten survive. CCGs have an important role in helping to turn the tables on survival rates.
CCG should encourage their local health community to visit BHFs website where they can order the cost effective and portable ‘watch and learn’ model of CPR training and PAD awareness.
Letters
NHS Health Checks letter to CCGs and Area Teams
In a letter to CCG Clinical Leads and Area Team Directors and Medical Directors, National Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh highlights recent progress on implementation of the NHS Health Checks programme. He strongly encourages partnership working with local authorities to improve clinical follow up to the NHS Health Check and to ensure that we are taking full advantage of the opportunity that the programme presents for the NHS and the wider health and care system.
For further information please contact Joanna Clarke, Domain Team Lead, Medical Directorate, NHS England.
About this bulletin:
Subscribe
Please do forward this bulletin to colleagues and encourage them to sign up online.
Submissions
If you have an idea for a future issue, please email the CCG bulletin mailbox.
Unless otherwise stated, guidance referred to in the bulletin has not been commissioned or endorsed by NHS England – it is evidence that organisations and professionals may find helpful in improving practice.
Share:
Tweet