Acorn Awards 2011

Below is a brief description of the winning projects, for further information on any of these projects please contact the NHS Alliance press office, pressoffice@nhsalliance.org.

GP Consortia

Winner - Bassetlaw Commissioning Organisation

Bassetlaw Commissioning Organisation (BCO) represents 11 practices and 110,000 patients and is based in North Nottinghamshire. Although the PCT remains the statutory body until authorisation, BCO has now assumed responsibility for statutory duties and delivery of the Strategic and QIPP plans (£5.7million for 2011/2012).

Runner Up - NHS Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group

NHS Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group has taken great strides forward since April 2011, establishing itself as a sustainable, effective and dynamic organisation committed to working with its patients and partners to achieve better health outcomes for the population of Nottingham City. It is already working closely with stakeholders and delivering improved quality, innovative interventions, efficiency savings and increased patient satisfaction. With delegated commissioning responsibility from one of the country’s top 10 PCTs (World-Class Commissioning), the CCG intends to be a national trail-blazer in clinical commissioning success.

Urgent Care

Winner - Gateshead Care Home Programme

In August 2010 GATNET - Gateshead’s GP commissioning consortia - commissioned a year-long pilot project to support the care home setting and attempt to reduce emergency admissions by implementing a preventative approach to healthcare delivery. The five care homes with the highest rates of emergency admissions were engaged. The pilot has delivered a dedicated support for the care home setting resulting in improved patient choice and quality of care, among other benefits. Work is now underway to roll out the programme to all homes in Gateshead.

Runner Up - Mastercall Healthcare

Mastercall Healthcare, a social enterprise organisation, provides urgent unscheduled care to Stockport Manchester and Trafford PCTs covering a patient population of 540,000 with a diversity of health needs. In October 2009 the team, with the assistance of a PCT nurse who had experience working with local homeless community set up an urgent care clinic for approximately two hours on a Tuesday and Thursday based at a drop-in centre for vulnerable adults who face drug and alcohol addiction and are often homeless.

QIPP

Winner - Corby Healthcare

In October 2010, Corby Healthcare Clinical Commissioning Group was heading for a year end forecast overspend of £700,000. For a number of years, GP Practices within Corby have been referring the most patients per 1,000 patients out of all other localities within Northamptonshire. ‘Prospective review ‘of all referrals was introduced in to all practices in December 2010 following the success of one practice significantly reducing referrals. In March 2011, the end of year position was £300,000 under spent, achieving a staggering £1m saving in four months.

Due to the success in 2010/11, Prospective Review of Referrals has continued in 2011/12 and has proved be the most successful QIPP scheme. Corby is now one of the lowest referring localities within Northamptonshire.

Runner Up - Newcastle Bridges

Newcastle Bridges is a Clinical Commissioning Group geographically encompassing the centre and west of Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East SHA. Its Newcastle Care Homes Project is a joint initiative with TyneHealth, which is the other Pathfinder group in Newcastle. One of the objectives of the project is to reduce the number of avoidable non-elective admissions into secondary care from nursing and residential care homes. In 2010/2011, the period during which the Newcastle Care Homes Project was implemented, the number of unplanned admissions has fallen by 8.8% compared to 2009/2010. The number of care home residents who were discharged on medical advice within 10 days has fallen by 28% compared to 2009/10.

Patient & Public Involvement

Winner - Health Works

Health Works covers a registered population of 151,181 in The Black Country comprising 22 GP practices across two local authority areas. Health Works is using clinical commissioning to drive transformational change and deliver innovative high quality, co-produced care and population health approaches with multi-agency partners. Underpinning this commitment is a collaborative person-centred commissioning process that values the contribution of all stakeholders (including local people and providers) and produces commissioning strategies co-designed and co-owned with the local community. As one of 25 pilot sites for Patient and Public Involvement in Clinical Commissioning, in 2010/11 Health Works has used the innovative commissioning approach ‘experience- led commissioning’ to deliver a commissioning programme in end of life.

Runner Up - Monitoring and Advisory Board

The Monitoring and Advisory Board (MAB) was previously known as the “Shadow Board” and was established after Easington began the Practice Based Commissioning process in 2006. The MAB has established a lively and effective mechanism for patient and public involvement in the Easington area. These are strong foundations on which to build a more powerful mechanism as the NHS enters a new era and to ensure patient and public involvement is a reality not just a slogan in the new arrangements.

Consortia Manager

Winner - David Thorne, chief executive, Newcastle Bridges CCG

Three years ago the then PBC group had informal structures and ways of working. It had no external links, networks or stakeholder allies. Now the CCG is seen as the most mature emerging CCG in the North East and one of the most progressive in the country. It has over 30 active redesign projects underway, several of which are backed by six figure sums built upon savings. These projects are innovative examples of QIPP focused work and have featured in presentations by ministers and the DH top team.

Runner Up - Alan Webb

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) covers a population of more than 600,000 people with 83 GP practices and a total budget for the county of £800m. Alan Webb was assigned to OCCG, having formally been the Director of Service Redesign at Oxfordshire. Alan has built a strong, competent team to manage transition and his style of leadership demonstrates the trust he has in their ability to deliver which allows him to take responsibility for a significant portfolio. There are times when conflicts do require rapid reassessment of priorities and he does this effectively drawing support from others as appropriate.

Leader

Winner - Dr Stephen Richards

During early discussions, many GPs supported establishing several smaller consortia, which would have weakened the ability to be a strong commissioner and could undermine delivery of the QIPP agenda. Stephen Richards was instrumental in influencing the GP community to recognise the real benefits of establishing a single commissioning group for the county, whilst recognising the need for locality decision-making within a two-tiered organisation. Since his election to lead the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, he has led the thinking around a strategy for OCCG.

Runner Up - Dr Sam Barrell

As a committed clinician, Dr Sam Barrell has driven the CCG agenda from its inception as PBC to form a well-respected and authoritative organisation. As Chair of the Baywide CCG and Director of Clinical Commissioning and Transition within the Care Trust, Sam's strong leadership has produced a clear vision and strategy, leading to the creation of a patient-centred approach to building clinical relationships, which in turn has begun the early modelling for a fully integrated model of care.