PBC: Intelligent Commissioning

Is practice-based commissioning (PBC) the pill that will shrink the near-£800m NHS deficit, or will it cause an adverse reaction? Whatever your view, the drive for universal coverage of PBC is under way and accelerating toward the December 2006 deadline.

Where before, secondary care services were commissioned by PCTs with little discussion with primary care, the onus is now firmly on achieving all-round excellence in financial management. Breaking even is no longer enough: the government has made it clear that a surplus is the expected norm.

In this special feature, sponsored by Ardentia - a leading provider of healthcare business intelligence solutions - we look at how NHS trusts and organisations can approach management of the PBC process as it rolls out, and the business tools they need to help them achieve financial excellence.

PBC Data Matters What information is needed to make PBC work well, and who needs that data? How will budget setting and financial management work? Ardentia's chief executive Tom Mulhern explains. The drive for PBC is speeding up. Originally due to be rolled out by 2008, it was brought forward 18 months when Sir Nigel Crisp, then chief executive of the NHS, released the document 'Commissioning a patient-led NHS' in summer 2005. The Intelligent Commissioning Toolkit What kind of software functionality will PCTs need to get up and running quickly with PBC? With the sheer volume of patient and activity data that is needed for effective PBC reporting, the starting point for any solution being considered by PCTs is easy access to and reporting from the trust's existing data warehouse and business intelligence systems. Readiness for PBC How should PCTs approach deployment and roll-out for best effect? Having established a shortlist of possible PBC solutions and suppliers using the functional checklist in the second article of this series, the next stage is to move towards implementation.

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