CCGs lukewarm on integrating health and social care roles

Respondents were asked about the policy, being considered by Labour, of making health and wellbeing boards “system leaders” for services for people with multiple long term conditions, disability or frailty.

HWBs would set plans for these services, which CCGs would enact.

Other commentators and politicians have also backed a greater role for HWBs.

• Deficits threaten hopes for radical reform
• Large majority of CCGs gearing up for GP contract responsibility
• The full results of the CCG Barometer
• More HSJ barometers

Only 15.6 per cent of respondents said they thought health and care commissioning overall would be improved if the policy was implemented and 29.3 per cent said health and care services would be better integrated.

A third said they would personally leave their CCG position and 53.2 per cent said some GP leaders would leave.

Just 13.7 per cent said their CCG was likely to give significant NHS commissioning responsibility to local authorities in coming years. Thirty-nine per cent said their CCG was likely to take on social care responsibility.

Asked to comment about commissioning integration, one respondent said the presence of providers on many HWBs “would make the difficult decisions on decommissioning services and shifting services more difficult”.

NHS Clinical Commissioners co-chair Steve Kell said he would be “extremely concerned about seeing another significant top-down reorganisation and losing that clinical leadership” under the changes being considered by Labour.

The party had not commented as HSJ went to press.

Meanwhile, the barometer found a large majority of CCGs were gearing up to take on management of GP contracts in the next year, despite a level of confusion and controversy about the “co-commissioning” policy.

Seventy per cent said they were likely to take on delegated responsibility for management of GP contracts in the next year.