Many clinical commissioning groups(CCGs) are, and have been, bullied on what their ‘appropriate size’ should be, says the Clinical Commissioning Coalition.
CCGs should be able to decide on theirown composition and size, not Primary Care Trust clusters for Strategic HealthAuthorities, claims the National Association for Primary Care and the NHSAlliance – the two bodies that formed the coalition.
Many clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are, and have been, bullied on what their ‘appropriate size’ should be, says the Clinical Commissioning Coalition.
CCGs should be able to decide on their own composition and size, not Primary Care Trust clusters for Strategic Health Authorities, claims the National Association for Primary Care and the NHS Alliance – the two bodies that formed the coalition.
Dr Michael Dixon, chair of the NHS Alliance, warned of a ‘worst case scenario’ in which the future size of a CCG depends upon the “presumed management and costs of running a statutory organisation, rather than the size that is necessary for them to carry out their functions most effectively.”
The Clinical Commissioning Coalition is currently working with the Department of Health to look at how small a CCG can be in order to meet the requirements for future National Commissioning Board authorisation.
“Until this work is completed, it is entirely inappropriate for either PCT Clusters or Strategic Health Authorities to dictate to their constituent CCGs how large or small they should be,” said Dr Dixon.
The Coalition is urging CCGs to resist any pressure from PCT clusters and SHAs.
