NHS Direct chooses partners for local care
- 19 June 2008
NHS Direct has selected Pfizer Health Solutions and Humana Europe as its key partners in extending telephone-based care management services to PCTs across the UK later this year.
The companies will be working together to introduce new call-centre based care management services, designed specifically for individual PCTs looking for telephone schemes to “reach out to patients in need.”
NHS Direct’s commercial director, Ronnette Lucraft, told EHI Primary Care: “This will allow us to reach out into the community, helping and encouraging people to follow personalised health plans, learn how to manage their own condition and ultimately enjoy a better, healthier, quality of life.
“Moving care closer to home and encouraging self care are absolutely central imperatives for the 21st century NHS. These are tried and tested care programmes which have been very successful in the US, and we hope they can bring their experience, understanding, toolkits and project management skills, combined with our existing infrastructure, to help make access to healthcare easier for patients.”
The two suppliers were chosen following an OJEU procurement process with the resulting contract running until 2012. NHS Direct anticipates that a framework agreement between the three parties will be signed by the end of September, with discussions around practical uses to follow.
NHS Direct and Pfizer already work together with Birmingham East and North PCT, delivering Birmingham OwnHealth – a large-scale telephone-based care management programme, which enables patients with diabetes, heart failure, COPD and other long-term conditions to receive regular telephone-based coaching from highly experienced care managers.
NHS Direct say that since OwnHealth started, the collaboration has led to significant improvements in both individuals’ health behaviours and clinical measures, and has resulted in more appropriate use of wider healthcare resources.
John Procter, head of Pfizer Health Solutions in the UK, said: "Today’s announcement takes the NHS Direct and Pfizer Health Solutions partnership to a whole new level. Working together, we can build upon our joint expertise in successfully delivering Birmingham OwnHealth, to benefit many more people with long term conditions, as well as the wider NHS.
“The complementary skills and experience of all three organisations create a partnership ready to deliver leading-edge NHS services and care."
Humana Europe currently provides the Department of Health with commissioning support services for organisations across the NHS using expert guidance and toolkits.
Chief executive of Humana, Dr Jonathan Lord, said: “This is a unique opportunity to bring together the different expertise we have as organisations to configure a service that can meet the different needs of patients across the NHS in a personalised way and can help them achieve happier, longer and healthier lives.”
Once the framework and practical uses have been decide, talks will begin with PCT commissioners by the end of the year. NHS Direct call-centres already take 8m health-related calls each year.
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