Green light for remaining CCGs

22 March 2013

NHS Commissioning Board has completed the authorization of the remaining 48 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), bringing the total to the planned 211.

The NHS Commissioning Board authorized the first 34 CCGs in December of last year, with a further 67 following in January 2013. Now the Board has authorised the final wave of 48 CCGs, prior to commissioning responsibilities going ‘live’ on 1 April 2013.

The 211 CCGs, which will be responsible for £65 billion of the £95 billion NHS commissioning budget and 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 65 million people.

Set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, CCGs will 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.

Of the 211 CCGs, 43 have been fully authorised, 168 have been authorised with conditions and fifteen have been issued with legal directions, which detail how the CCG must work with another CCG or the NHS Commissioning Board to exercise its functions.