A survey of doctors involved in emerging clinical commissioning groups has found 60 per cent report “being coerced or bullied” in how they set up the organisation, according to a new survey.

The Clinical Commissioning Coalition – a joint project between the NHS Alliance and National Association of Primary Care – carried out an internet survey of 67 individuals involved in emerging groups.

Sixty per cent answered yes to the question: “Do you believe that your CCG is being coerced or bullied to alter how you are setting it up, in ways that conflict with what you feel would benefit your local population?”

The coalition said it resonated with its findings in the past and that such behaviour “seems to be coming from the existing mangement infrastructure of clustered primary care trusts and strategic health authorities; bodies that will be abolished in April 2013 when CCGs take responsibility”.

NHS Alliance chair Michael Dixon said: “We’ve heard too many reports that CCGs are being told by the current system managers that they must be created in a specific way. That is not what the old system is supposed to be doing.”

NAPC chair elect Charles Alessi said: “We are deeply concerned about these top down directives – examples of which have been coming to us for several weeks now.

“We are calling upon ministers and [NHS chief executive] Sir David Nicholson to stipulate the need for a completely different tone from PCT and SHA clusters if they really do want the vision of a transformed NHS to become reality.”

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