Shaping the emergent commissioning landscape – early learning from Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS

The Oakleigh Health Team was delighted to lead the recent e-conference exploring, debating and challenging a range of understanding and opinion from the government’s recent white paper: Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS. Contributions were welcomed from representatives of Primary Care, Practice Based Commissioning, Acute Care, Third Sector, Local Government and the Independent Sector.

Thanks to excellent interventions and observation by participants, we were able to produce a very positive step forward in the initial understanding of the document, with early evidence of innovative and potentially productive strategies to realise this radical agenda. The learning experienced was enhanced by Oakleigh Health Econometrician, Jamie O’Hara with a presentation and demonstration of how Dynamic Predictive Modelling can inform and provide core capability to restructuring intelligent commissioning, pathways, services, and the workforce. There was broad agreement that the extent and depth of challenge will not be fully understood until after the consultation period, but given the right strategies, tools, and capacity it is apparent that the proposed new and more direct, structure should ensure reduced administrative lag and leakages within the overall future healthcare process.

The stronger emphasis towards wider choice forms a continuation of the recent policy agenda, but a notable contribution by a Commissioning Manager who recently attended an Oakleigh Innovation Masterclass, suggested that, “ the ability to underpin innovation as a change mechanism in both commissioner and provider services will become a pivotal marker of success for the aims of the white paper.”

Of course, the emerging challenge at each level of the new commissioning landscape is to establish the most effective combination of accountability and independence, dovetailing financial rigour, value and prudence with increasing innovation and productivity. The e-conference was clear that the challenges ahead can only be surmounted at a sustainable level if the GP consortia are enabled with the resources and freedom to deliver genuinely independent and patient centred decisions; preparing strategies and interventions now may be critical to future success.

If you would like to discuss issue relating to health policy then please contact David Lees, Director of Health davidlees@oakleigh.co.uk 07932 120 527