Quarterly ‘assurance’ assessments of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have been announced by NHS England.
Frameworks have been published by NHS England which outline how CCGs and NHS England’s own direct commissioning functions will be monitored to ensure high quality, sustainable services are being commissioned.
Every three months, discussions over whether patient engagement, the quality of care, collaborative working, outcomes and leadership will be held.
Quarterly ‘assurance’ assessments of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have been announced by NHS England.
Frameworks have been published by NHS England which outline how CCGs and NHS England’s own direct commissioning functions will be monitored to ensure high quality, sustainable services are being commissioned.
Every three months, discussions over whether patient engagement, the quality of care, collaborative working, outcomes and leadership will be held.
Dame Barbara Hakin, NHS England chief operating officer and deputy chief executive, said “This process will be a continuous assessment of CCGs’ and direct commissioners’ capacity and capability to meet statutory and planning requirements, meet the needs of local populations, reduce health inequalities and provide the best possible outcomes for local people in the most cost effective way.
“The assurance frameworks will build on what CCGs and direct commissioners are already doing and are designed to support them to become the best commissioners they can be.”
The CCG Assurance Framework has been co-designed with CCGs and other key stakeholders, and will fulfill NHS England’s statutory responsibility to conduct performance assessments of each CCG.
The same high level of scrutiny will be applied to NHS England’s direct commissioning responsibilities, with the Direct Commissioning Framework outlining arrangements for the robust assessment of how well direct commissioning functions of area teams are performing against plans to improve services and deliver better outcomes for patients.
The assurance process will identify the development and support needs of CCGs and direct commissioning teams, as well as the mitigation of any identified delivery risks.
The Department of Health will also conduct an annual assessment of NHS England’s performance including the extent to which it has met the objectives set out in the Mandate.
NHS England’s direct commissioning functions include primary care, specialised services, health screening and immunisation services, services for members of the armed forces and health and justice services.
