NPA Project To Assure The Quality Of NHS Commissioning Of Pharmacy Services Gets Underway In Hull, Kent And East Of England

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 02 Dec 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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The NPA has designed a process to assure the quality of commissioning of community pharmacy services. The objectives are:

- To increase constructive engagement between contractors/LPCs and commissioners
- To increase uptake of locally commissioned pharmacy services
- To improve PCT performance all around the commissioning cycle

An important element of this project is to research pharmacy contractors' perspectives on the local commissioning of pharmacy services. The NPA is testing a range of research processes. A field test of a questionnaire is taking place in the East of England. Concurrently, trials of semi-structured interviews with contractors who are based in the three PCT areas in Kent are being undertaken by the Medway School of Pharmacy.

With a roll-out anticipated in 2010, the results will be collated centrally by the NPA, and the intention is ultimately to create a national picture, as well as regional and PCT-by-PCT level analysis. The results at national level will be used to identify actions that DH may wish to take forward to address deficiencies, as well as to identify best practice. Local results can be used as a platform for constructive dialogue between contractors and PCTs.

NPA is partnering with East Riding and Hull LPC to link this project into the World Class Commissioning assurance process. The LPC, which has been invited by Hull PCT to give feedback on the PCT's performance, is using an online version of the NPA questionnaire to canvass contractors' views in the area.

Stephen Fishwick, NPA Head of External Relations said:

"Commissioning of pharmacy services by PCTs is variable. We know PCTs are facing SHA scrutiny of commissioning performance right now and in some areas LPCs and contractors have been asked to feed in their views. This process gives pharmacy an opportunity to make their views known in a structured and systematic way, giving clear direction to PCTs of areas of improvement and allowing pharmacy to start or improve the dialogue with commissioners. NPA members or LPCs who have been approached by their PCT to feed into to the World Class Commissioning competency programme could benefit from using this new NPA tool."

Janet Clark, Chief Officer of East Riding and Hull LPC said:

"East Riding and Hull is pleased to be amongst the first LPCs to go live with the NPA programme. This is not about setting contractors against commissioners, it's about being thorough with our feedback and maintaining a constructive dialogue with our PCTs. We hope that this will lead ultimately to the spread of good practice within the PCT, and specifically improvements with respect to the commissioning of pharmacy services."

Source
National Pharmacy Association

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