subject: Getting Ready For Gp Commissioning [print this page] Under new plans for GP commissioning, general practitioners will be taking on the responsibility for commissioning care services in their surrounding region. A number of challenges come with this task - made even more difficult by the limited time that GPs have been given to prepare. Agreeing a clear vision, developing strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders and collecting and interpreting key data will all be important elements to consider when setting the wheels in motion for GP commissioning.
The consortium vision is an important starting point. A clear mission statement should be agreed by all members of the consortium at the beginning. This will help to ensure that the group keeps a strong focus, no matter what challenges they face. Advice on the right goals and strategy can be sought from many different sources - from colleagues and GPs in neighbouring areas, to the local PCT.
This process will also be helpful for building some of the key relationships that will be needed to help make GP commissioning a success. Nurturing relationships with those around will help GPs to thrive in the commissioning environment. Patients themselves must not be forgotten here. They are vital to the process and can be hugely valuable allies and sources of information. GPs should seek out their advice wherever possible and there are numerous ways to do this, from surveys to focus groups.
General practioners taking on the role of commissioners need a good understanding of the extended population that they are now caring for. Collecting information about the population will help them to achieve this. There are already systems in place, such as NHS Comparators, which can provide figures on population dynamics at all levels. PCTs will also be able to provide insights.
Consortia should also learn how to manage and interpret their own GP commissioning data. Developing management accounts and monitoring the figures over the longer term will help to ensure that GPs can budget and forecast effectively, as well as assess the impact of the spending decisions that they have made.
