RCP: New blueprint for commissioning and planning medical services in NHS trusts

Thursday, 29 September 2011 5:21 PM

Published today, the fifth edition of ‘Consultant physicians working with patients’, the RCP’s blueprint for the duties, responsibilities and practice of consultant physicians, will be invaluable for commissioners, planners, clinicians and NHS Trusts when commissioning and planning local health services. At a time of reorganisation and change across the four nations, this book provides generic guidance to enable high quality care in whatever system is provided.

Patients are at the heart of a physician’s practice, and this book emphasises patient involvement and delivering services in a more integrated way, in line with future changes to the way services will be planned, commissioned and delivered.

The book provides up-to-date information on service organisation and standards in 30 medical specialties*. Each specialty chapter covers:

· how the specialty service is organised

· the clinical and managerial workload

· how to organise an outpatient clinic and inpatient services

· job plan templates

· opportunities for integrated care and working with patients

· key points for commissioners and planners

The book also underlines the requirement for quality in practice, showing how the RCP sets standards and encourages physicians to measure against those standards, to undertake improvement by implementing change, and then to go on improving.

Dr Linda Patterson, RCP Clinical Vice-President, said:
‘In the changing landscape of healthcare reorganisation across the UK, this book will be pivotal in providing commissioners with much of the information they need to commission and plan hospital medical services in 30 medical specialties, with an emphasis on quality of care.’

Notes to Editors

For further information please contact RCP PR Manager Linda Cuthbertson on 020 3075 1254, 07748 777919, linda.cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk. ‘Consultant physicians working with patients’ is free to download from the RCP website:
http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/resources/publications/consultant-physicians-working-patients
or hard copies can be purchased from the RCP Publications Department priced £25

* Acute medicine; allergy; audiovestibular medicine; cardiovascular medicine and paediatric cardiology with adult congenital cardiology; clinical genetics; clinical pharmacology and therapeutics; dermatology; diabetes and endocrinology; gastroenterology and hepatology; genitourinary medicine; geriatric medicine; haematology; immunology; infectious diseases and tropical medicine; intensive care medicine; medical oncology; medical ophthalmology; metabolic medicine; neurology; nuclear medicine; palliative medicine; pharmaceutical medicine; rehabilitation medicine; renal medicine; respiratory medicine; rheumatology; sport and exercise medicine; and stroke medicine.


Linda Cuthbertson | PR Manager
External Affairs | Royal College of Physicians
11 St Andrews Place | Regent’s Park | London NW1 4LE

Direct line +44 (0)20 3075 1254 | Mobile +44 (0)7748 777919
Email linda.cuthbertson@rcplondon.ac.uk| Fax +44 (0)20 7486 5425


rcplondon.ac.uk | twitter.com/rcplondon | facebook.com/royalcollegeofphysicians 

Tags:
• health
,
• nhs