Background and aim
The Primary Care Commissioning Activity Report (PCAR) was commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) in 2019. The report shows management of contractual performance, procurement and expiry of contracts, availability of services, including contract closures and assurance of policy compliance and implementation.
In January 2022, the report changed from a quarterly to a monthly report and in Q2 of 2022, NHSE commissioned the NHSBSA to conduct a review of the report and make sure that it was still effective and relevant.
What we did
Working closely with NHSE, the NHSBSA reviewed and reshaped the report to meet the current climate and requirements of ICB teams.
We simplified the process of requesting data from ICB commissioning teams and suggested a new user-friendly timescale that would allow additional time for ICB teams to complete the report.
Our new processes were tested and refined in a trial period in early 2023 before the refreshed report was launched to all ICBs in April 2023.
Results
The new changes to the PCAR have been positively received by all parties. The data gathered in the report is clearer and all parties now have more time to populate and review the information every month - reducing the chance of missing or incorrect data. The report is now fit for purpose and used effectively within ICB teams and NHSE.