PSNC highlights opportunities for engaging in PBC
Guidance to help community pharmacists become actively engaged with practice-based
commissioning has been published by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee.
The local pharmaceutical committee briefing document (PDF 430K)points
out that some primary care trusts have already started to advertise for
willing
service providers and many more are likely to do so over the next few
months. “LPCs and individual contractors need to be regularly scanning
the types of places where tenders will be sought, aware of the approach
that their local commissioners are intending to take, and have proposals
prepared in advance so that they only need final refinement in order
to be able to respond to such tight deadlines,” it says. It highlights
a recent advertisement for tenders placed on 8 March, which had a closing
date of 23 March 2007.
The document aims to help LPCs consider what they should be doing to
assist community pharmacy contractors to understand and engage with PBC.
It provides background information on the place of PBC in current policy
as well as practical action points. It also gives examples of how pharmacists
can contribute, through PBC, to preventing unnecessary hospital admissions,
implementing more cost-effective prescribing and redesigning care pathways.
Commenting on the launch of the guide, Barbara Parsons, head of pharmacy
practice at the PSNC, said: “PBC is currently a high priority for
LPCs, but it is not easy to keep on top of the myriad of policy documents
on the subject issued by the Department of Health. This document clarifies
the current state of play and will help LPCs to formulate robust business
cases that target local health needs.”
A second publication is under development and will focus on the opportunities
practice-based commissioning provides for individual community pharmacy
contractors.
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