Nine NHS groups handed charge of budgets for GPs

A total of 64 of the GP-led groups in England have been given delegated responsibility for commissioning GP services as part of efforts to give local communities more scope for deciding how services develop.

A key aim is to better integrate care in and out of hospital. The responsibility has lain with NHS England for the last two years after the Government’s controversial NHS reforms. Officials say a “transparent and robust framework” has been put in place to manage conflicts of interest.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) selected in Yorkshire include Barnsley, Rotherham, Vale of York, Harrogate and District, Scarborough and Ryedale, Bradford City, Bradford Districts, Calderdale and Wakefield.

GP Nick Balac, chairman of NHS Barnsley CCG, said: “This is a journey to enable local commissioning arrangements that can deliver the kind of integrated care, in and out of hospital that we all want to see.

“It will give local clinical commissioning groups more influence over the wider NHS budget and we are really proud to be one of the first CCGs across the country to be given this responsibility. The introduction of co-commissioning is another strong step on the path to provide more joined up, high quality services for Barnsley people.”

Amanda Doyle, primary care co-commissioning programme oversight group co-chairman and chief clinical officer for NHS Blackpool CCG, said: “Giving GP-led clinical commissioning groups more influence over the wider NHS budget, will enable a shift in investment from acute to primary and community services and to enable money to follow the patient.”