Primary Care Trusts preventing family doctors 'commissioning'
By Ian Birch
A publication for GPs claims Primary Care Trusts are preventing family doctors from commissioning new services. GP commissioning of mental health services is a flagship current Tory policy but has attracted controversy throughout large sectors of the NHS and campaigns from groups such as 38 Degrees.
According to Pulse, the chief executive of Birmingham Independent Commissioners, Dr Peter Patel, said his group had been in charge of the full commissioning budget since last year but PCTs had blocked him from commissioning new services.
Meanwhile The Guardian reported that the chief executive of the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw PCT cluster says staff are doing all they can to embrace government reforms, admid wider criticism of PCTs.
Andy Buck said his staff are facing a great deal of uncertainty at the moment and told The Guardian: "I think some things have been said about PCTs and by implication by about their staff which have at best been regrettable. I don't like them [the government] knocking us PCTs and their staff.”
Since health secretary Andrew Lansley announced plans to abolish PCTs and hand their responsibilities to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) – previously known as GP consortiums – speculation has been rife as to how staff will be redeployed.
The Mental Health Foundation’s policy, published back in February, says CCGs have the potential to improve both the physical and mental wellbeing of people with mental health problems, providing the following conditions are met:
- the implementation of a national tariff for mental health care
- GP-led consortia management allowances that allow for the hiring of high quality mental health commissioning expertise
- effective commissioning partnerships between local GP-led consortia and the NHS Commissioning Board, which may be responsible for commissioning a range of specialist services for people with more severe mental health problems
- an acknowledgement from GPs that mental health commissioning needs to reflect a social model of recovery, not just clinical care, and that good mental health commissioning must start with prevention and health promotion work
- the outcomes against which GP-led consortia are measured must be designed in partnership with mental health service users and their families, as well as with partners in local authorities and employment, housing and welfare agencies.
According to mental health charity, Rethink, mental health problems account for 23 per cent of all GP consultations and will underlie many more. One pound in every eight the NHS spends goes on mental health services making it by far the biggest single programme budget.
Rethink has provided advice to GP commissioners which is available at the link below.
