APEX Guides: Helping PBC Leaders To Become World Class Commissioners

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 30 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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The first three guides - Clinical Engagement, Governance and Prioritising Investment - will be launched at the Practice Based Commissioning National Forum, on 1 July. A fourth guide, on Patient and Public Engagement, will be published over the summer and a fifth, on Procurement, is already in the pipeline and expected to be published in September. APEX recognises that commissioners will have to make tough decisions to bring costs down while focusing on quality. Practice-based commissioning will be crucial in this process by bringing Primary Care Trusts (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 service professionals. APEX is also currently developing a website which will become a platform for commissioners to share their experience and examples of best practice.

NHSA members can download free copies of the guides from the NHS Alliance's website at http://www.nhsalliance.org

Notes

1. APEX is a practical, collaborative network, driving best practice and catalysing positive change for patients through practice-based commissioning (PBC). The APEX 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.

Through a series of strategic, action-led 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 strategic health authorities (SHAs), PCTs and practices turn 'talk' into 'action', and
- demonstrate and pioneer models of collaboration between industry and the NHS.

2. APEX is sponsored by an unrestricted grant by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Source
APEX