Getting to know the consortia
Released 25/05/2011
In search of PM leads
As pathfinder consortia now cover nearly all of England (the fourth waves brought the percentage of coverage to 90%), I've given myself the task of going down the list on the Department of Health's website and scoping out which ones have practice manager leaders on the board and which ones don't.
This, of course, is no easy task as half the pathfinders don't even have websites, and if they do, many of them are out-dated versions of their PBC group site. However, the more I return to my research, the more websites seem to be popping up and where there are websites, there are organisational boards behind them.
Part of the reason behind this investigation is to research an article I'm doing in the July issue of Practice Business on what makes a good GP commissioning consortia board. Should it be purely GPs (you all should be shouting ‘Noooooo') or should there be practice managers represented on the board too (‘Yessssss')?
I'm amazed by the wide variation there is in terms of how a GPCC board is made up. Some of them comprise of impassioned volunteers who get put on the board because they shout loud enough; some are PBC boards left unchanged; others are voted on democratically across the locality, but most, it seems are in flux.
While it's accepted that GPs should make up the majority of decision-makers at GPCC board level, what remains less clear is who should fill the rest of the seats around the table - whether they be practice managers, nurses or laypeople and how many.
For pathfinders, now is the time to test the waters, and many I've spoken to have plans to reorganise their board soon, once they get a feel for the best balance.
In terms of practice manager involvement, I've seen no practice managers on the board and I've seen as many as six (the PM lead for which even admitted was too much). Where there isn't a practice manager on the board it doesn't mean they're not being represented. In some cases they get a voice through a PM group that sits alongside the board. In other areas one PM lead is chosen to convey the PM message.
If you're a practice manager and want to have your say in GP-led commissioning, now is the time to find out what the ratio is of clinical to non-clinical staff on your pathfinder's board, if you don't already know. If you don't see a PM lead there, ask why, or volunteer yourself, heck that seems to work more often than not!
Are you a practice manager lead for your GPCC? I'm interested in featuring PM leaders for future issues of Practice Business. Please do get in contact on editor@practicebusiness.co.uk.