South Central PCT Alliance

Last updated: 15 October 2012 

The journey

Responding to a lack of internal capability and capacity, nine PCTs came together to collaborate on obtaining specialist analytical support to gather and use data.  This data covered three areas: understanding the health needs of the population; informing service redesign; and indentifying performance indicators to manage providers following commissioning.  The programme team decided to contract a third party to deliver this support: Tribal (now known as Capita).

Outcomes

Overall the programme has demonstrated good return on investment, although it has proved somewhat less good value for larger PCTs with more internal capability. Over the last year, the scale of the contract with the third party supplier has been reduced as PCT’s understanding of which tools and services will be most useful to support clinical led commissioning has grown.  

Learning includes a richer understanding of what’s good to provide locally, what at a mid-size geography and what at scale; and that better information and analysis is not enough. In order to use information effectively, change management must also happen.

Patient setting

Clinical area

Information, tools and techniques used

The programme has mainly involved the provision of analytical tools and services to give commissioners access to new types of information. However, an important part of the programme has been to support PCTs in accessing and interpreting this new information to support decision making and to drive intelligence-led commissioning.

Geography

The programme involved the nine PCTs of the NHS South Central area, which stretches from Milton Keynes to the Isle of Wight.

Timescale

The third party supplier was contracted in 2010 for four years.  This has now reduced to three to coincide with CCGs going operational in April 2013.

Contact details and further information

Alan Thompson, Programme Manager, South Central PCT Alliance: Alan.thompson@hampshire.nhs.uk