Is the DH giving up on practice-based commissioning?

Civitas, 15 October 2009

While the Conservatives are announcing plans to restructure PbC, the current government seems to be rethinking the future of the process as well.

Dr David Colin-Thomé, DH national clinical director of primary care, said eerily of PbC at a conference last week: ‘I think this corpse is not for resuscitation.’ He explained that there does not seem to be much traction with PCTs and that there has not been any systematic increase in PCT or GP effort to implement the policy, despite repeated advocacy from the DH. Practice based commissioning has been in place for five years now.

However, despite its recent prognosis, PbC is still clearly integrated in both Labour and Conservative health policy plans. Everyone seems to agree there is a need for a mechanism to enable local variation in care provision depending on population health and treatment availability; it’s the level of responsibility put on GPs (and the related practical implications) that remain up for debate.