Commissioning processes in primary care trusts: a repeated cross-sectional survey of health care commissioners in England.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent to which primary care trusts (PCTs) in England employed processes associated with quality commissioning and to assess whether changes occurred in these processes during a policy drive to improve commissioning.
METHODS: Telephone surveys of PCT managers leading commissioning for diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and emergency and urgent care in all 152 PCTs in both 2009 and 2010.
RESULTS: The response rate was 51% (77/152) of PCTs in 2009 and 60% (91/152) in 2010. Two-thirds of commissioners had commissioned initiatives starting in the previous financial year. Over half of initiatives starting in 2008/09 had been instigated by the PCT alone. This reduced to a third in 2010, showing a shift towards partnership working. Commissioners reported that a large proportion of initiatives had been developed and shaped with the involvement of general practitioners (GPs) with direct links to the PCT and of specialist clinicians (70%), but that a lower proportion of initiatives had involvement from other GPs (40%). Patients or the public were less likely to be involved in initiatives than clinicians, but there was evidence of increasing involvement over the two years from 35% (52/149) to 51% (67/132) of initiatives. There was no evidence of changes in whether needs assessment was undertaken, how evidence was used or how initiatives were led and performance managed.
CONCLUSIONS: PCT commissioners reported clinical engagement in the majority of commissioning initiatives, a shift towards partnership commissioning, and increased involvement of patients and public in the development of initiatives. The new model of commissioning in England through clinical commissioning groups will need to improve on these processes if it is to demonstrate a higher quality approach to commissioning.