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MPs back new NHS commissioning tariffs

MPs back new NHS commissioning tariffs
4 July 2014



New NHS payment systems – such as the Year of Care tariff – are needed to support the care of patients with long term conditions (LTCs) and growing fianancial pressures make "open and honest" debate about options essential, according to a major new report from MPs.

New NHS payment systems – such as the Year of Care tariff – are needed to support the care of patients with long term conditions (LTCs) and growing fianancial pressures make "open and honest" debate about options essential, according to a major new report from MPs.
The House of Commons Health Select Committee has warned that it is not certain that changes in service design to better support the management of LTCs will be cost-neutral or result in savings in the short term and it is likely that in the current situation of little or no growth in the overall health budget, the expense of service redesign will have to be met by reductions or efficiencies elsewhere. 
It also warns that the substantial structural changes in caring for patients with long term conditions will be extremely challenging for health and care services.
In addition, recruitment and workforce planning required must take place "as a matter of urgency" in particular to address a work force shortfall in primary care. 
The report – Managing the care of people with long–term conditions says MPs are not convinced that focusing on measures to reduce admissions to the acute sector will effectively address the underlying issues in management of LTCs which seem to drive patients with chronic ambulatory care-sensitive conditions into acute care.
"We recommend the commissioning of long-term studies of the effectiveness and economic benefit from integrated services for the management of LTCs, with regular and rigorous evaluation of outcomes." 
NHS Confederation chief executive Rob Webster said: "Transformation of the scale required cannot be done while NHS organisations are continually having to pare their finances to the bone. Fixed Parliaments give the opportunity for longer term settlements. A five year settlement for the NHS – or even better, a ‘decade deal’ – would give the health service certainty about its funding and enable service leaders to plan the right care for local people in the right place at the right time.
"Alongside getting the finances right, it is imperative that we change what we do and how we do it. Hand in hand with investment for transformation needs to be a genuine commitment from politicians to support the changes which are essential for the NHS’s future, and a similar commitment from the health service to be ready to change when needed."

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