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NEWS: Zosia Kmietowicz Nearly all English general practices are set to run their own budgets BMJ 2007; 334: 922 [Full text]

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Practice Based Commissioning - not as it seems

Nigel Higson   (4 May 2007)

Practice Based Commissioning - not as it seems 4 May 2007
Nigel Higson, General Practitioner Goodwood Court Medical Centre 52 Cromwell Road Hove BN3 3ER Send response to journal: Re: Practice Based Commissioning - not as it seems	For a professional journal representing the professional (in this case the General Practitioner) I am amazed to read this editorial based on a DoH press release. Manipulating statistics is a skill of this government and maximising spin is only helped by such editorials. Those of us at "ground zero" of general practice are not enamoured by practice based commissioning and there is a considerable discrepancy between those who "signed up" to the enhanced payment scheme to explore practice based commissioning and those who actively wish to take part. As with everything this government does, throwing money at a problem seems to produce results on paper but not in reality. Certainly in our area the majority of practices who have received payments under level 2 of the enhanced scheme (of which I am not one) have contributed little to debates, have shown little enthusiasm for change, and - in any case- are hampered by grossly inaccurate information obtained from the secondary care sector. No savings have been made and overall there has been a considerable expenditure incurred by the PCT . The BMJ would be better researching attitudes to Practice based commissioning and base its published articles on such research. Competing interests: None declared