FINANCE: Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group is set to record a £7.6m deficit in 2014-15, following an unplanned overspend this year, and does not expect to deliver a surplus until 2016-17.
HSJ has also learnt that the CCG has readvertised for a permanent chief executive, after failing to recruit during the winter.
A paper to the county’s health and wellbeing board this month shows the CCG is forecasting it will record a £6.1m unplanned deficit in 2013-14 and planning for a £7.6m deficit in 2014-15. For 2015-16, it is expecting to break-even, but will not meet the NHS England national requirements to record a 1 per cent surplus and spend 3 per cent of its budget non-recurrently. The CCG is only expecting to meet these requirements in 2016-17.
The paper said in 2013-14 the CCG had used a number of one-off “benefits and underspends” to mitigate financial pressure and that its underlying deficit was £18.5m.
Oxfordshire CCG is the fifth largest in England and the lowest funded per head of population in the country in 2013-14 and 2014-15. NHS England analysis identifies it as the third most under-funded in the country, according to the national body’s newly adopted allocation formula.
The CCG is in the process of recruiting a new chief executive, after its previous substantive chief Stephen Richards attempted to move to become clinical chair, but failed to win an election by its member GPs.
It is the second attempt to fill the post after an attempt around Christmas time failed. This time, the salary on offer has increased from £150,000 to £170,000. Ian Wilson, the current interim chief, said there was a stronger field of applicants due to the salary change and the time of year.
Oxfordshire CCG leaders have said they are attempting to persuade member GP practices to federate, to help address the health economy’s problems.
As well as the CCG’s deficit, Oxfordshire has the highest rate of delayed transfers of care in the country, as well as high GP referral rates and poor elective and emergency waiting times.
CCG chair Joe McManners told HSJ one of his top priorities was to help its GP practices combine into federations to develop specialisms and care more effectively for older patients and people with long term conditions, whose increasing need for care is believed to be the main cause of its problems.
He said: “I would like to develop primary care so it is able to offer an alternative to community and hospital trusts and start managing these patients in a proactive way.”
Dr McManners said the CCG was attempting to explain to practices that federating was in their interests as it could enable them to win funding to provide more services.
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