RCN responds to Audit Commission report on Payment by Results
Published: 14 February 2008
Responding to the Audit Commission report on Payment by Results the RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Dr Peter Carter said;
“The Payment by Results system has been a useful way of improving our understanding of patient pathways and the cost of treating patients in the NHS. However the system needs to develop so that it focuses on the quality, as well as the volume, of care and treatment that is being provided.”
“What we have at the moment is Payment by Activity not Results because the system does not recognise or reward the quality of care provided. In order to drive up standards it is essential that we move away from a crude cost and volume payment towards a system that rewards and incentivises improvements in the quality of care patients receive.
“To achieve this we need to have a much better understanding of the contribution of different members of the health care team. Nursing staff will, for example, be critical to the success of providing more care in the community and closer to where people live but currently there is very little information about the contribution required of nursing to achieve this.”
Notes to Editors
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Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.