25.11.10
Medical rehabilitation- more flexible commissioning needed, says report
A new report by the Royal College of Physicians and the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine argues that the future of medical rehabilitation services hinges on more flexible commissioning arrangements. The report details the benefits that rapidly available, ongoing access to high quality rehabilitation services offers patients with disabilities arising from injury or long term conditions.
Entitled Medical Rehabilitation in 2011 and beyond, the report is the work of an expert group comprising medical specialists, patients and allied professionals. In addition to revising the definitions of medical rehabilitation in line with current practice and expected technological advances, the authors have, following a wide ranging review of the evidence, provided specifications for designing cost effective services that maximise opportunities for recovery.
Central to their vision is more active collaboration between commissioners and medical specialists to support integrated, personalised care in the face of an increasingly complex provider landscape. Commissioners, they suggest, must rise to the challenge of developing frameworks that reflect need, complexity and local circumstances. Equally, clinicians need to be trained to recognise the need complex packages of interventions and be able to coordinate their introduction. They should also be able to evaluate and demonstrate the benefits that can be achieved through enabling technology, while remaining aware of their limitations in relation to complex patient groups.
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]