The NHS revolution – one wave at a time
pharmafile | October 26, 2012 | Feature | Sales and Marketing | CCGs, NHS, pharma-NHS partnerships
The first group of prospective Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) will have to wait a little longer to hear if they have been cleared to take control of their local health service.
The NHS Commissioning Board this week unveiled final dates for the ‘authorisation’ of CCGs, its new timetable showing that decisions have been postponed by around a month.
This means the final decision on the Wave 1 applicants will now be announced in early December, while the ruling on Wave 4 will be in March 2013 – just one month before the ‘big bang’ date of 1 April, when CCGs are meant to take over from primary care trusts.
The Commissioning Board has blurred the lines by saying authorisation is a ‘continuous process’ and that CCGs not achieving full authorisation by April have not failed, but simply need more time to establish themselves.
The Board says the over-riding aim of the process is to ensure ‘as many CCGs as possible’ are authorised and ready to take control as statutory organisations on 1 April 2013. For those that are not ready by that date, the Board will oversee control of certain functions until it is satisfied the CCG can take the reins.
Birmingham CCGs merge
Meanwhile, two Clinical Commissioning Groups in Birmingham recently announced plans to merge.
The combination of CrossCity and Northeast Birmingham CCGs will be the fourth largest in the country in terms of population, with 117 GP practices looking after more than 730,000 people in the city.
The merger is a further reduction in the number of proposed CCGs, the total now standing at 211. This has fallen from an initial tally of 380 from when the process began in early 2011 – and many in the health service predict further mergers will follow.
The two Birmingham CCGs were due to apply for authorisation in the fourth wave of CCG applications, from 1 November.
Dr Gavin Ralston, Chair of Birmingham CrossCity CCG, said: “This is going to be a large, dynamic CCG, which will have the potential to improve and redefine healthcare for the people of our city at a strategic level whilst retaining a vital local focus.
Dr Ralston said the decision recognises the “importance of strong clinical engagement through our ten local networks, whilst providing a large enough organisation to deal effectively with Birmingham’s complex healthcare landscape”.
Dr Anthony Ainsworth, chair of Northeast Birmingham CCG, said: “We welcome the opportunity to join this vibrant CCG.”
The CCG Authorisation Timetable
|
|
360 degree stakeholder survey |
Application submitted to NHS CB(A) |
Authorisation decision returned to CCG |
|
Wave 1 |
June 2012 |
2 July 2012 |
December 2012 |
|
Wave 2 |
July 2012 |
3 September 2012 |
January 2013 |
|
Wave 3 |
September 2012 |
1 October 2012 |
February 2013 |
|
Wave 4 |
October 2012 |
1 November 2012 |
March 2013 |
Implications for pharma industry
The April 2013 handover of power to CCGs, as well as the creation of a handful of new health service organisations, such as Commissioning Support Units (CSUs), Health and Wellbeing Boards and other bodies will complicate pharma’s relations with the NHS significantly.
Kevin Blakemore was appointed to a new role at the ABPI this summer, NHS Partnership manager, and is charged with co-ordinating and facilitating greater joint working between the industry and the NHS.
He is now finalising a team of four regional managers who will work with him to liaise with NHS leaders and pharma personnel in order to forge new alliances.
Blakemore concedes that the emerging new NHS presents a fragmented and complicated picture for pharma, but urges the industry to take a positive attitude to the change.
“This is a great opportunity to re-fashion the NHS into an exceptionally good health service. Of course there is a risk that things could go wrong, and could end up in a mess.
“Some people want to see it fail, but I really don’t understand that attitude – we should seize this chance to make things better”.
Kevin Blakemore will be sharing the stage with other pharma execs and frontline NHS leaders at the forthcoming conference: CCGs, the new NHS and Pharma on 5 December. Click here for more information.
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