PCTs must increase GP involvement in patient engagement

09-Jun-09

PCT patient and public engagement strategies have not been strongly influenced by GPs, nurses or the public, according to a new report.

Independent pro-patient group the Picker Institute's report 'Patient and public engagement: the early impact of World Class Commissioning' surveyed 60 PCTs.

It found that within the last two years there had been significant changes to the way PCTs organised public engagement but this was likely to be within their own management.

Don Redding, head of policy at the Picker Institute, said: ‘World Class Commissioning requires that proactive, continuous and meaningful patient and public engagement should drive commissioning decisions.

‘The ‘significant’ or ‘sweeping’ organisational changes that many PCTs say they are putting in place may bring this goal closer but it is not yet a reality.

‘PCTs are more aware of the need to get the public involved early in decisions but also report that they are far from achieving that.

‘They are only beginning to use diverse methods to reach wider circles of the community. They face a key challenge in getting their own frontline staff and clinicians to engage patients and feed into commissioning priorities.’

neil.durham