Competency 2 - Working with community partners to optimise health gains and reduce inequalities
This Competency stipulates that PCTs should not commission services in isolation. In addition to commissioning healthcare services, they will need to consider the wider determinants of health and the role of other partners in improving the health outcomes of their local population.
PCTs also share responsibility for undertaking a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) with local partners, including local government, healthcare providers, third sector organisations and clinical partners such as practice based commissioners and specialist consortia. Working collaboratively with partners, PCTs must stimulate innovation, efficiency and better service design, increasing the impact of the services they commission to optimise health gains and reductions in health inequalities.
You can read more about this Competency, including the key information-related inputs and outputs required to meet this Competency here: Competency 2 - Knowledge Management Summary.
There is one area of this Competency where Knowledge Management has particular relevance.
Below you will find a summary of how Knowledge Management can support your development in this area, along with a choice of resources which we feel may help.
CREATION OF A LOCAL AREA AGREEMENT BASED ON JOINT NEEDS
Although Knowledge Management is not central to achieving this Competency, it can play an important role in the creation of a Local Area Agreement.
Many PCTs are now embarking on a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) with local authorities. Knowledge Management is crucial to getting this Assessment right. The JSNA should be a fairly rigorous study of the local economy. It involves collating data from multiple disparate sources, integrating the data from these sources, analysing the information and providing a cohesive summary of the current state and the recommended plan of action.
At a minimum, the Local Area Agreement will need to address the needs highlighted in the JSNA, while to reach Level 4 the PCT will need to create joint accountability and clear, active roles with local partners for key targets, with active clinical and PBC engagement in the LAA.
For a list of resources relating to this area, including a summary of the documents and rating, click here.
