NHS England » 62 new clinical commissioning groups given green light to take control of NHS budgets

62 new clinical commissioning groups given green light to take control of NHS budgets

20 February 2013

Commissioning

NHS Commissioning Board authorises third wave of clinical commissioning groups, taking the total to 163, serving 42 million people

Local clinicians have now been given the green light to take control of the NHS budget in more than three quarters of England’s local health communities.

The NHS Commissioning Board has authorised 62 more clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission healthcare services for their communities. The first 34 CCGs were authorised in December 2012; with a further 67 CCGs authorised in January 2013.

A total of 211 CCGs will, from 1 April 2013, be responsible for £65 billion of the £95 billion NHS commissioning budget. The remaining 48 CCGs are set for authorisation in March 2013.

The third wave of CCGs, which have all completed a rigorous assessment, will in total plan and commission hospital, community health and mental health services on behalf of more than 13 million people. The 163 CCGs authorised so far will serve a total of around 42 million people.

Dame Barbara Hakin, the NHS Commissioning Board’s National Director: Commissioning Development, said: “The majority of CCGs are now authorised and up-and-running and we are moving at pace towards a clinically-led NHS that is focused on delivering improved health outcomes, quality, patient safety, innovation and public participation.”

CCGs, set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, will from April 2013 replace the 152 primary care trusts that currently commission healthcare services. They are independent statutory bodies, led by their members: the GP practices in their area. All 8,000-plus GP practices in England will be members of a CCG, putting the majority of the NHS budget in the control of frontline clinicians for the first time.

Authorisation is granted after experts have ensured the CCG is safe and effective through a rigorous assessment and assurance process which includes reviewing the CCG’s policies, carrying out detailed site visits, interviewing and assessing its leaders and assessing its work with stakeholders and patients.

The NHS Commissioning Board stresses that it expects the development and improvement of all CCGs – including those fully authorised – to continue up to April, as well as beyond.

Six of the 62 CCGs in the second wave have been authorised with no conditions, meaning they fully met all 119 authorisation criteria. A further 56 CCGs have been authorised with conditions, meaning they will continue to receive some formal support to help them continue their development so that they also fully meet the criteria in all areas.

Five CCGs – NHS Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford CCG; NHS Newham CCG; NHS Herefordshire CCG; NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG; and NHS Vale of York CCG – will be authorised to take control of their commissioning budgets, but with more intensive support. This will be provided by the NHS Commissioning Board and will be underpinned by legal directions.

Directions are legally binding instructions to an authorised CCG, and are used to legally formalise intensive support where conditions at level four or above have been placed on its authorisation. The effect of a direction is to either direct how the CCG must work with another CCG or the NHS CB to exercise functions, or to stop the CCG from exercising a specific function and ensure another CCG or the NHS CB will carry out those specified functions on its behalf.

Read the summary outcomes document