Make sure you have input to service planning
 At the National Imaging Forum, held at Aston Villa football ground in September, one of the (sadly few) PCT representatives present revealed that commissioners are facing pressure to use independent sector providers to plan diagnostic imaging services, reports Richard Evans, the Society’s chief executive.
This may not come as a surprise to anyone, even though it is directly contradictory to the stated DH policy that there will be completely free choice for commissioners.
It seems likely that use of a diverse range of service providers will be necessary in many, if not most, areas to ensure that there is adequate capacity, particularly for primary care centred diagnostics. Now that policy makers are talking more about integration of plural services rather than competition between them, there is some hope that in the long term diagnostic imaging services in any particular area will be properly co-ordinated and coherently managed.
However, with the 18-week target bearing down on us, the short-term outlook appears chaotic. There is a real risk that ill-prepared (not their fault) PCTs will ‘panic buy’ from independent sector providers quite simply because it appears less hassle to do so. The message I am getting back from the PCT representatives I meet is that they would really like to understand what their local imaging services are doing and what they could do in terms of providing services in new ways, including providing imaging services in the community.
At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, it is a good time to get in touch with your PCT and talk about provision of diagnostic imaging in your area. Why not invite the contract holding independent service providers along too (when you know who they are)? We are the experts in diagnostic imaging and should be involved in making sure services are planned properly.
Back | Top
|
