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Practice Based Commissioning GP practice survey

This is the second quarterly practice survey, covering a sample of practices from each primary care trust (PCT). The aims of the survey are to get feedback from practices on their perception of the support offered by their PCT and on the clinical and financial engagement of practices with PBC.  The survey is part of a group of indicators that will be assessed together to give a picture of PBC implementation.

Key findings

• A slight increase in support for PBC: Fifty-nine percent of GP practices say they are supportive of PBC as a policy (57 percent, Wave 1).
• Thirty-six percent (33 percent, Wave 1) of practices have commissioned one or more new services through PBC.
• A ten percentage points increase in the percentage of practices that received an indicative budget for 2007-08, from 56 percent in Wave 1 to 66 percent in Wave 2. However, 76 percent (74 percent, Wave 1) still feel that it has yet to make a difference to the way the GP practice operates.
• An increase in the percentage of practices that have agreed a commissioning plan with their PCT, from 46 percent in Wave 1 to 54 percent in Wave 2.
• Forty-two percent of practices (37 percent, Wave 1) rate the quality of managerial support provided by their PCT as good, 
• Around a third of practices rate the quality, format and frequency of information provided by their PCT as being good, a figure that has not significantly changed from Wave 1.