PCT Commissioning Evaluation
Evaluating PCT and practice based commissioning: identifying which commissioning processes produce successful outcomes
Aim
To identify the key factors that lead to effective commissioning by studying the outcomes of commissioning initiatives, and the processes related to successful outcomes, for three tracker conditions: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and coronary heart disease; and one tracker service: emergency and urgent care.
Team
- Professor Alicia O’Cathain (PI), University of Sheffield
- Fiona Sampson
- Dr Mark Pickin
- Dr Mark Strong
- Professor Liddy Goyder
- Professor Simon Dixon
- Marc Chattle (Admin)
Funder
Department of Health Policy Research Programme as part of the Health Reforms Evaluation Programme.
Funding: £495,000.
Time period: 1 November 2008 for 3 years.
Summary
We are undertaking a controlled before and after study of commissioning initiatives in the 152 PCTs in England. This involves a telephone survey of commissioning managers in 2009, and again in 2010, to describe any commissioned changes to care in each of the tracker conditions/services that had started in the previous financial year. We then ask about the processes of commissioning these intiatives (e.g who instigated the initiative, who was involved in developing and shaping the initiative, the extent of continuity of management of the initiative etc). We will then collate routinely available data on outcomes over the period 2004/5 – 2009/10 and study the change in these outcomes over time in PCTs with initiatives compared to those without, for each tracker condition/service. Outcome measures will include the rate of hospital admissions and disease-specific outcome measures (e.g. HbA1C control for diabetes). Sources of outcomes data will include Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), and Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). We are also undertaking a survey of Directors of Commissioning on behalf of another project in the Health Reform Evaluation Programme.