POINT-OF-CARE TESTING
The need for POCT teams to operate as business units
Tony Cambridge explains why he believes that POCT services must be run as business units, led by qualified individuals and supported by organisation leads and wider network influence.
The healthcare landscape is changing at a rapid pace with more emphasis on value-based care, budgetary control and improved clinical outcomes for patients. Point-of-care testing (POCT) is one of the specialist areas that continues to grow in diversity, scope and impact. It is my belief that point-of-care (POC) services must be run as business units, led by qualified individuals and supported by organisation leads and wider network influence.
The financial element of healthcare is often lost on some, with the focus being solely on patient outcomes regardless of cost. This is an admirable approach and clearly puts the patient at the centre of care delivery. In the real world of financial constraints this is not an approach that can be sustained, with limited budgets, value on investment considerations and accountability for spending public or company money.
This article aims to demonstrate how POC services must be run as a business, and what needs to be in place to achieve this. After many years of successfully implementing change whilst delivering financial value and running my own company, I can say that following this guidance will support your current service or the transition required to act like a business. Firstly, every clinical specialty must have designated staff who are knowledgeable of, and committed to delivering, POC activities for the specialist unit. Without this level of buy-in, small POC teams will be buried by the scope of their own service, regardless of their level of resources.
Each clinical area will have its own budget. It is essential that part of this budget is clearly defined for POCT which will be explored further in this article. Lacking the ability to identify spend is a major factor in losing financial control and ultimately a failure to demonstrate value.
Autonomy
One thing that sets business units apart is the level of autonomy granted. This is unlikely to be complete autonomy, but a delegated responsibility to qualified individuals who manage the budget for the organisation. This requires those involved to be knowledgeable of business practices, with a designated level of accountability and oversight. The oversight is there to review any spend above a stipulated amount, giving the service more autonomy when committing smaller amounts. The thresholds must be determined by the service leads and follow the organisation’s own financial instructions.
For end users who wish to drive change, the POCT service must have an internal application process for any new device, test or process.
WWW.PATHOLOGYINPRACTICE.COM SEPTEMBER 2025
Budget control is a term that most NHS services find difficult to deliver due
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