Working together to improve out of hours care
through a national benchmark
Joining the National Out of Hours Benchmark
What you are signing up to
We are looking for PCTs to sign up for three years support. This involves a benchmark every six months (or 6 over the three years) with a survey of patients and the additional analysis of patient experience carried out by our partners, CFEP, every year. You can sign up for just one benchmark, or one year, but the costs are much lower for three years.
What you will need to do
Most of the analysis is carried out through a data extract of four weeks activity over the last six months. The initial benchmark, completing a web based survey for commissioners looking at costs and a separate web based survey for providers looking at all aspects of performance, takes more time – in future benchmarks you can revise your previous returns which will be much quicker.
What you will get
A summary report for the PCT highlighting your local performance against the headline indicators and detailed performance against national quality requirements. This will be, in effect, a six-monthly performance report on out of hours care for the PCT Board.
Providers will also receive a report of their performance.
The opportunity to attend a half-day workshop after each benchmark, with your providers, to understand the findings and explore how you can improve out of hours care.
In summary, clear and consistent evidence of the cost and performance of your out of hours service, compared with all other PCTs in the benchmark and compared over time, for your local service, as the benchmark develops. You will also have evidence of the ‘vital sign’ for out of hours care, requiring you to measure patient experience.
Cost of the Benchmark
The costs have now been finalised with our national steering group involving PCT commissioners and OOH providers. They are:
For one benchmark: £3,000 plus VAT
For one year (2 benchmarks & one patient survey): £5,000 plus VAT
For three years (6 benchmarks & three patient surveys): £9,000 plus VAT
Please note that the costs for just one benchmark are high because of the comparatively large amount of work involved in the initial set up. The cost structure is also designed to encourage PCTs to sign up for a longer period as it is a more powerful tool when it can show trends over time rather than being used as a one-off exercise.
When can you start?
We will be bringing PCTs into the benchmark over the next three months. Some PCTs are keen to get a first benchmark of their out of hours services as soon as possible – for them, we will be able to start the process in the next few weeks. Others may have good reasons why they would rather start in the autumn, such as changes or pressures on the out of hours service, or pressure of work within the PCT, and this too can be accommodated. We can agree a best start date with you, as soon as you have signed up.
Added Value if all PCTs sign up across your SHA area
We are willing to offer you further support if all the PCTs across your SHA area sign up together to be part of the benchmark. There is a strong emphasis on learning and service improvement, with a commitment to run 3 or 4 workshops across the Country after each benchmark. If all PCTs across your SHA sign up, we would be happy to run a workshop specifically for your area, based in your patch, and designed around your local needs and issues.
We have also agreed that there should be a further 5% reduction in price from the £9,000 for three years support, to £8,550 per PCT.
What do I do next?
If you are ready to join the national out of hours benchmark, please download the form and complete it, including contact details within the PCT and provider services and agreeing a contract for providing benchmarking services.
We look forward to hearing from you
Rick Stern
Primary Care Foundation
07709 746771
rick.stern@primarycarefoundation.co.uk
What you are signing up to
We are looking for PCTs to sign up for three years support. This involves a benchmark every six months (or 6 over the three years) with a survey of patients and the additional analysis of patient experience carried out by our partners, CFEP, every year. You can sign up for just one benchmark, or one year, but the costs are much lower for three years.
What you will need to do
Most of the analysis is carried out through a data extract of four weeks activity over the last six months. The initial benchmark, completing a web based survey for commissioners looking at costs and a separate web based survey for providers looking at all aspects of performance, takes more time – in future benchmarks you can revise your previous returns which will be much quicker.
What you will get
A summary report for the PCT highlighting your local performance against the headline indicators and detailed performance against national quality requirements. This will be, in effect, a six-monthly performance report on out of hours care for the PCT Board.
Providers will also receive a report of their performance.
The opportunity to attend a half-day workshop after each benchmark, with your providers, to understand the findings and explore how you can improve out of hours care.
In summary, clear and consistent evidence of the cost and performance of your out of hours service, compared with all other PCTs in the benchmark and compared over time, for your local service, as the benchmark develops. You will also have evidence of the ‘vital sign’ for out of hours care, requiring you to measure patient experience.
Cost of the Benchmark
The costs have now been finalised with our national steering group involving PCT commissioners and OOH providers. They are:
For one benchmark: £3,000 plus VAT
For one year (2 benchmarks & one patient survey): £5,000 plus VAT
For three years (6 benchmarks & three patient surveys): £9,000 plus VAT
Please note that the costs for just one benchmark are high because of the comparatively large amount of work involved in the initial set up. The cost structure is also designed to encourage PCTs to sign up for a longer period as it is a more powerful tool when it can show trends over time rather than being used as a one-off exercise.
When can you start?
We will be bringing PCTs into the benchmark over the next three months. Some PCTs are keen to get a first benchmark of their out of hours services as soon as possible – for them, we will be able to start the process in the next few weeks. Others may have good reasons why they would rather start in the autumn, such as changes or pressures on the out of hours service, or pressure of work within the PCT, and this too can be accommodated. We can agree a best start date with you, as soon as you have signed up.
Added Value if all PCTs sign up across your SHA area
We are willing to offer you further support if all the PCTs across your SHA area sign up together to be part of the benchmark. There is a strong emphasis on learning and service improvement, with a commitment to run 3 or 4 workshops across the Country after each benchmark. If all PCTs across your SHA sign up, we would be happy to run a workshop specifically for your area, based in your patch, and designed around your local needs and issues.
We have also agreed that there should be a further 5% reduction in price from the £9,000 for three years support, to £8,550 per PCT.
What do I do next?
If you are ready to join the national out of hours benchmark, please download the form and complete it, including contact details within the PCT and provider services and agreeing a contract for providing benchmarking services.
We look forward to hearing from you
Rick Stern
Primary Care Foundation
07709 746771
rick.stern@primarycarefoundation.co.uk