Excellence in commissioning diabetes care

This publication showcases examples of where clinically led commissioning is changing the way diabetes care is commissioned and improving people’s lives. The document draws out lessons from those involved in the projects to share and embed for the future.

Since 1996 the number of people living with diabetes in the UK has more than doubled. The NHS is now spending more than £9.8bn each year on treating the condition and its complications.

 Excellence in commissioning diabetes care features a range of programmes from CCGs across the country with case studies including:

• Slough CCG’s approach involving both targeted support for communities and education in GP practices – the CCG is ranked second best in the country on delivering the eight care processes identified by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as representing good practice in diabetes care.
• Surrey Downs CCG’s work to improve communication between GP practices and paramedics in relation to incidences of hypoglycaemia.
• Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern CCGs’ joint approach to diabetes care, which focuses on what the patient wants to achieve rather than only their blood sugar levels.

The report contains tips on commissioning excellent diabetes care including: involving patients in their own care; collaborating with providers on the move from activity to outcomes based approaches and using data effectively to demonstrate the case for change.

In this we also call on national bodies to help CCGs ensure that more people receive excellent care in the future through:

• Working with CCGs to identify top-priority patient outcome measures.
• Promoting new contracting mechanisms which better reflect population-based care.
• Establishing clearer rules of engagement on collaborations between pharmaceutical companies and CCGs.

You can download the report below and read our press release.

27 April 2017