Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Alcohol Treatment PbR?

A: Please see the background, but in simple terms, it is an extension of the PbR system currently being introduced into the NHS Mental Health System. Hopefully, it will provide a more transparent funding system for specialist alcohol treatment services in time.

Q: What services are included in Alcohol Treatment PbR?

A: Alcohol Treatment PbR is aimed at structured alcohol treatment that usually falls within MoCAM tiers 3 and 4.

It does not include brief advice services or other services traditionally offered in Tiers 1 and 2 at this time.

Q: Where are the pilot sites for Alcohol Treatment PbR?

A: Four areas have agreed to be pilot sites. They are:

• Middlesbrough
• Rotherham
• Wakefield, and
• Nottingham

Q: Are there additional funds being made available to the pilot sites?

A: No - there are no additional funds being offered to the pilots. Pilot areas are expected to deliver the project outcomes within their existing available budgets.

Q: What are the pilot sites being asked to do?

A: The four pilot areas have been requested to:

1. Test out the clustering tools and process to see if it is workable and practical in routine treatment environments and help us refine these tools
   
2. Explore their ability to deliver care in accordance with the packages of care based on the recent NICE guidance and provide us with feedback
   
3. Measure individual outcomes through the use of validated tools
   
4. Record all this activity through the minimum data set, and to
   
5. Collect data about the costs of delivering these packages of care.

Q: How long will the Alcohol Treatment PbR pilots be in operation?

A: The pilots began in July 2011 and will finish at the end of March 2012.

Once the pilots come to an end, the data and feedback from the pilots will be reviewed, products will be refined and costs will be submitted to Monitor, the NHS regulator to begin the development of tariffs.

The Alcohol Treatment PbR products, process and indicative tariffs should be available for widespread local use in April 2013.

Q: How does the Alcohol Treatment PbR pilot programme relate to the Drugs Recovery PbR pilot programme?

A: The Alcohol Treatment PbR pilot programme is for alcohol treatment services only and does not include areas who wish to examine both alcohol and drugs treatment. Work on both drugs and alcohol has already been included in the call to participate in the Drugs Recovery PbR pilot programme.

The Alcohol Treatment PbR project will however support and inform the Drugs PbR project by helping to establish processes to identify those clients with multiple needs and complex problems who have the greatest impact on society - this group could be the focus for the Drugs Recovery PbR pilots. Conversely, it will also identify those with mild, moderate and severe needs but without additional complexity, who will require less intensive interventions, may be less socially excluded and may not need a recovery approach.

Q: Will an Alcohol PbR approach pay purely for outcomes achieved?

A: No it is likely that a PbR approach for Specialist Alcohol Treatment will cover both activity and outcomes. The percentage split will be examined in the pilot phase but it is anticipated that it will be weighted more towards activity and the delivery of NICE based packages of care, with a bonus payment for the achievement of agreed outcomes.

Q: How will activity and outcome data be recorded?

A: The NTA are designing a stand alone data set for the pilot phase but it is hoped that following successful piloting this will lead to it being incorporated into the NATMS

Q: Will the Alcohol PbR project be affected by the NICE Commissioning Guidance due out soon?

A: The Alcohol PbR project team are working closely with NICE to ensure that there is convergence between the two sets of guidance. The costing information that is likely to be contained within the NICE commissioning guidance will inform local costing work undertaken as part of the pilot phase, which may in turn inform future iterations of the NICE guidance.

If you have any further questions, please contact Diane Lee for more details.