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From contracts to service agreements: what can be learned from total purchasing?
1Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of Southampton, UK.
Journal of Management in Medicine
|June 3, 1999
Summary
Total purchasing (TPPs) allowed GP practices to buy extra services. Key contracting features were vital for achieving TPPs' objectives, offering insights for future primary care commissioning and service agreements.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Healthcare Management
- Primary Care
Background:
- Total purchasing (TPPs) is an experimental extension of GP fundholding.
- It enables GP practices to procure community, secondary, and tertiary services beyond standard budgets.
- This study examines the initial year of TPP contracting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the relationship between contracting processes and TPP strategic objective achievement.
- To inform the development of primary care commissioning strategies.
- To identify essential contracting features for future service agreements.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study of contracting by TPPs.
- Analysis of selected findings from the first year of purchasing.
- Focus on perceived relationships between contracting aspects and strategic objectives.
Main Results:
- Certain contracting process features were instrumental in achieving TPPs' service development goals.
- These findings are relevant to the shift from NHS internal market competition to collaborative commissioning.
- The study highlights aspects crucial for effective commissioning under new service agreements.
Conclusions:
- Effective commissioning requires preserving key contracting features identified in TPPs.
- The findings offer guidance for the transition to long-term service agreements in primary care.
- Understanding these contracting dynamics is vital for future healthcare service procurement.