Novartis and NHS Alliance collaborate on commissioning guides

pharmafile | July 14, 2009 | News story | Sales and Marketing |  NHS, Novartis, PBC 

Novartis has teamed up with the NHS Alliance to launch a series of guides to help practice-based commissioning leaders tackle World Class Commissioning (WCC), one of the key frameworks for reform in NHS patient services.

The collaboration, known as APEX (the Alliance for PBC Excellence), has just published the first three guides – Clinical Engagement, Governance and Prioritising Investment, launched at the Practice Based Commissioning National Forum, on 1 July.

A fourth guide – Patient and Public Engagement – will be published over the summer and a fifth – Procurement – is already in the pipeline and is expected to be published in September.

Advertisement

APEX is a collaborative network aimed at spreading best practice and bringing about positive change for patients through practice-based commissioning (PBC).

Its membership comprises a multidisciplinary group of PBC leaders who are representative of SHAs, and includes local PBC group chairs, SHA commissioning heads, and PCT chief executives and commissioning directors.

Commissioners are being asked to make tough decisions to bring costs down while focusing on quality. Practice-based commissioning will be crucial in this process by bringing PCTs and clinicians together.

Dr David Jenner, practice based federation lead, NHS Alliance, said: "We want to promote the partnership between PBC and PCTs through effective commissioning. The APEX guides will help practice based commissioners develop to become world class commissioners with their PCTs by demonstrating what true world class commissioning would look like in action."

Mark Hill, co-chair for APEX and market access director at Novartis UK, said: "I am delighted that Novartis have collaborated with the NHS Alliance to develop these innovative commissioning competency guides. I firmly believe that the APEX guides will foster a productive relationship between PBC and PCTs and help to drive and deliver excellence in WCC".

All guides are being developed through focus groups and discussions with key health professionals. APEX is also currently developing a website which will become a platform for commissioners to share experience and best practice.

Through a series of strategic initiatives, the aims of APEX are to:

* Drive best practice and catalyse positive change for patients through practice-based commissioning

* Translate the ideas of clinicians into successful plans for PCTs

* Help (SHAs, PCTs and practices turn 'talk' into 'action'

* Demonstrate and pioneer models of collaboration between industry and the NHS.

Free copies of the guides can be downloaded from the NHS Alliance website at www.nhsalliance.org

Related Content

A community-first future: which pathways will get us there?

In the final Gateway to Local Adoption article of 2025, Visions4Health caught up with Julian …

Novartis receives SMC approval for early breast cancer treatment

Novartis has announced that its treatment for early breast cancer, Kisqali (ribociclib), has received approval …

The Pharma Files: with Dr Ewen Cameron, Chief Executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Pharmafile chats with Dr Ewen Cameron, Chief Executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, about …

The Gateway to Local Adoption Series

Latest content