News

New CCG improvement and assessment framework launched today

NHS England has today launched a new Improvement and Assessment Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), which will include ratings published online to show patients how their local health service is performing in six important areas.

From June, an initial assessment of CCG performance will be available online that will cover six crucial areas including cancer, dementia, diabetes, mental health, learning disabilities and maternity care.  Each will be based on metrics in the framework that will be verified by independent panels chaired by experts in each field.  This will be followed by an annual assessment in June 2017 which will incorporate additional information from the local Sustainability and Transformation Plans and other relevant data.

As well as the six areas verified by the panels, the new framework will also report CCG performance in 29 key areas, including new models of care, efficiency and conflicts of interest management.

The framework is intended as a focal point for joint work and support between NHS England and CCGs, and was developed with input from NHS Clinical Commissioners, CCGs, patient groups and charities. It draws together the NHS Constitution, performance and finance metrics and transformational challenges and will play an important part in the delivery of the Five Year Forward View.

Ian Dodge, National Director of Commissioning Strategy, NHS England said: “The new CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework is intended to embed a ‘triple aim’ in how CCGs work with NHS England: better health for their local populations, better care for patients, and better value for the taxpayer.

“It’s about better reflecting what matters most to local communities as CCGs carry on their work to implement the Five Year Forward View and maintain high standards for patients.

“We’re aiming for clarity, simplicity and balance. We’ve heard support for a greater focus on assisting improvement alongside our statutory assessment function – and that will be the real test of the framework’s success.”

10 comments

  1. Graeme Sergeant says:

    NHS England was set upto destroy the NHS,Simon Stephens is the priciple architect of its destruction.The NHS will not exist within the next 20 years.The CCG have nopublic accountability.

  2. Ramesh says:

    When will the Technical Guidance be available for the 16/17 Assessment Framework

    • NHS England says:

      Hi Ramesh,

      A detailed technical document will be published shortly.

      Kind regards
      NHS England

  3. Stephanie Alexander says:

    When will the baseline data and definitions be available?

    • NHS England says:

      Hi Stephanie,

      This information is contained in the detailed technical document, which will be published shortly.

      Kind regards
      NHS England

  4. James Walker says:

    Are e-Discharges part of the criteria as they (e-Discharges) are part of the 2016/17 NHS Standard Contract?

    • NHS England says:

      Hi James,

      The indicators in the framework provide an overview of the highest priorities for CCGs in delivering the Five Year Forward View, rather than a fully comprehensive measure of everything a CCG does. However this does not mean that only the indicators reported in the framework are taken in to account by CCGs and NHS England. An indicator in the sustainability domain ‘paper free at the point of care’ reports on whether CCGs have a local digital roadmap in place. In the wider programme for developing digital roadmaps, ‘GPs receive timely electronic discharge summaries from secondary care’ is one of the universal capabilities and is covered in the CCG digital maturity self-assessment submitted to NHS England.

      Kind regards
      NHS England

  5. Charles Holmes says:

    It will of course be interesting to see how individual CCGs are performing against the tide of constant change and confusion that has flowed ever since the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
    The lack of national workforce planning which as directly led to the shortages of qualified nurses, specialist consultants, GPs and the consequential reliance on expensive agency staff and locums to ensure patient safety on the wards.
    The imposed fragmentation of the NHS into small local CCGs which in the main have not got the critical mass to drive the necessary changes needed in local health economies to keep people out of hospitals and safely cared for in their own homes. The splitting off and separation of Commissioning Support Units has been an unmitigated disaster resulting in more behind the scenes restructuring to avoid the political embarrassment of having to admit the abject failure of the biggest top down reorganisation ever seen in the NHS.
    The switching of GP commissioning away from NHS England to CCGs as a blatant cost saving exercise for NHS England who transferred to responsibility but not the consequential overheads to the CCGs and then complain about the potential conflicts of interests incurred by GP led CCGs having to commission GP services and now demanding quarterly reviews of potential conflicts of all CCGs staff as well as Governing Body members.
    CCGs cannot control the ever increasing complex demands from older people who are living longer (hurray), but suffering from several medical conditions which require ongoing and expensive treatments, and yet the CCG budgets are not increasing at the same rate so creating a £2.8 billion black hole in 2015/16 with much worse to come in 2016/17. And of course alienating and demonising the 50,000 Junior Doctors is going to improve matters no end.
    Capital expenditure is being switched to revenue to reduce the deficit with the consequences of older equipment at the end if its life not being replaced which in turn puts patients safety at risk.
    This is a re run of the Tory Governments prior to 1997 when the NHS had been put on its knees through lack of investment causing long waiting lists, decaying hospitals and overall shocking performance.
    We now back on the steep slope of decline with a deceitful Government that is in denial of the realities on the ground. This latest innovation to expose local performance is being put there to blame the local CCGs rather than accept its own policy failures and its failure to address them.
    The Government’s failure to ensure that there is sufficient social care funding available is another heavy straw which is breaking the NHS camel’s back and the new much trumpeted National Living Wage is going to compound these difficulties, with Local Authorities being blamed for the lack of social services despite the shortfall being caused by the draconian cutbacks which the Government’s Long Term Economic Plan requires a total reduction of 60% in LA support grants by 2020 compared to the position in 2010.
    No CCG in the land can swim against this tide of destruction.
    Sorting out the NHS is not in the gift of the individual 209 CCGs. Only the Government can resolve the difficulties the NHS is in.
    But will it admit its abject failure and sort it out?
    I do hope so. For the sake of the health and wellbeing of every existing patient and every potential future patient I truly do hope so.
    But do I think they will actually ever admit their failures?
    Sadly for the patients, the public and for the dedicated staff who already work tirelessly seven days a week, 24 hours a day 365 days a year I can see no sign of the denial of reality ending any time soon. This decline, bullying and misinformation will continue unabated unless we the people stand up and clearly say enough is enough.

  6. John Davies says:

    How much money is Arden being paid as a commercial profit making outfit in a National Health Service I find their web site opaque

    Accessible Accountable Transparent Duty of Candour

    Also can you provide me with details of all commercial contracts of “stake holders” in the North West with payments

    Curiously Arden has no presence in the North West = local provision ?

    • NHS England says:

      Dear Mr Davies,

      Thank you for your comments and query in relation to North West Commissioning Support Unit (CSU). We are treating your queries as a request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. In order for us to respond please can we ask you submit this request along with your contact information (i.e. email or postal address) to england.contactus@nhs.net.

      Yours sincerely,
      NHS England