This project was completed in April 2009.
In brief
- The way in which community health services are provided has changed little since the NHS was established in 1948. Community health services have suffered from many years of inattention and underinvestment. As a consequence, the services provided vary widely in terms of performance and productivity, and the necessary facilities and support, both managerial and technical, are often lacking.
- Yet the challenges faced by community services are increasing significantly: care is shifting from hospital to community settings, the population is ageing and the number of people with long-term conditions is growing. There is a compelling case to modernise services and to improve the degree of co-ordination with other services, particularly in primary and social care.
- Lord Darzi’s NHS Next Stage Review put the organisation of community health services firmly back on the agenda, and as part of the drive to turn PCTs into world class commissioners PCTs need to separate their provider and commissioning functions. PCTs must now come up with a strategy to modernise their community services and identify future organisational options for the separated services.
- The Department of Health requires PCTs to lay out a strategic vision and organisational options for the community health services that they currently manage. This provides PCTs with an opportunity to address many years of neglect in these services and to prepare for the growing health care needs of a population that is ageing and has rising rates of chronic disease.
- It was against this backdrop that The King’s Fund produced the report Shaping PCT Provider Services: The future for community health. It examines the issues faced by PCTs in determining the future pattern of provision and opportunities for service improvement.
Also in this project
- In brief
- Approach »
- Findings »
