'Nearly all' CCGs to take on primary care commissioning by 2018

Sixty-three CCGs have so far taken on full delegation to commission primary care services locally. From next month a further 51 CCGs (see box, below) will have been approved for full delegation, bringing the total to 114.

NHS England national director for commissioning strategy Ian Dodge has said that at the current pace of change it is expected that “nearly all” CCGs will have taken on delegated commissioning responsibilities by 2017-18.

In May 2014, CCGs were invited to submit expressions of interest in co-commissioning primary care services.

CCGs were offered a choice of adopting one of three types of closer involvement in commissioning primary care:

• greater involvement – working with NHS England teams to influence local primary care commissioning decisions;
• joint commissioning – where CCGs assume joint responsibility for commissioning primary medical services with NHS England; and
• delegated commissioning – CCGs to assume full responsibility for the commissioning general practice services.

While CCGs are increasingly taking on delegated commissioning responsibilities for primary care, legal accountability for their decisions remains with NHS England.

Writing in a paper due to be presented at NHS England’s board meeting on Thursday morning, Mr Dodge said: “In 2015-16, 63 CCGs took forward full delegation of primary medical care services, as approved by the NHS England board in March 2015.

“In addition, 87 CCGs implemented joint arrangements with their local NHS England team.

“Of 209 CCGs, a further 51 CCGs have been approved to take forward full delegation of primary medical care services from 1 April 2016.

“This will bring the total to 114 CCGs with full delegation in 2016-17. At the current pace of change, we expect nearly all CCGs to have taken on delegated arrangements by 2017-18.”