National Priorities, Local Action? An analysis of PCTs' World Class Commissioning policies.

Health Mandate has published a ground-breaking new report National Priorities, Local Action? An analysis of PCTs' World Class Commissioning policies.

Anyone in the business of trying to deliver change or understand behaviour in the NHS - at either a national or a local level - needs to understand the interplay between national policy and local priorities.  Put simply, addressing one without the other will not provide a successful strategy for improving health services.

This report provides the first national analysis of the priorities adopted by PCTs as part of the World Class Commissioning assurance process. It reveals the extent to which national priorities are translated into local action, patterns in prioritisation, as well as the health issues on which individual PCTs are focusing. The data collected and analysed in developing the report will enable us to help you assess which PCTs are most interested in your issues and target communications in a way which - until now - has been impossible. 

Overall, the report shows encouraging progress:

• PCTs have embraced the prevention agenda with enthusiasm, with smoking cessation and reducing alcohol-related harm amongst the most common priorities
• End of life care, a hitherto low profile issue for many health services, has been prioritised by approximately half of all PCTs, indicating that they are responding to the Department of Health's End of Life Care Strategy

However it also identifies some challenges:

• There is little consistency in how national priorities are being translated into World Class Commissioning indicators
• There is greater scope for PCTs to focus through the assurance process on issues which can improve NHS efficiency and quality

Behind the report lies a wealth of data which will be invaluable to all organisations seeking to influence the NHS.  If you would like to find out more or discuss how Health Mandate can help you translate your priorities into local action, please get in touch by emailing worldclasscommissioning@yourmandate.com