Four of the five most overspent clinical commissioning groups so far in 2016-17 are in the West Midlands, but most still expect to recover their positions by March.
NHS England’s mid-year finance report, published yesterday, showed CCGs in England had reported a combined overspend of £236m at the end of September.
The report forecast a significant improvement over the second half of the year, however, with the combined overspend expected to be £190m by year end.
The most overspent CCGs at Q2 (by proportion of planned spend)
| YTD overspend (£m) | YTD overspend % | Forecast overspend (£m) | Forecast overspend % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannock Chase | -£10.3 | 12.9 | £0.0 | 0 |
| Stafford and Surrounds | -£7.3 | 8.4 | £0.0 | 0 |
| Shropshire | -£15.6 | 7.3 | -£16.3 | 3.7 |
| East Surrey | -£6.7 | 6.3 | -£7.5 | 3.5 |
| SE Staffs and Seisdon Peninsula | -£6.1 | 4.8 | £0.0 | 0 |
Eighty-four CCGs overspent their allocations in the first half of the year, but NHS England said only 35 are forecast to be in a worse than planned position at the end of the year.
Among those expecting to recover their position was Stafford and Surrounds CCG, which was overspent by £7.3m after six months. But its latest finance paper for the seven months to October says the CCG is now forecasting a £12.6m overspend at the end of the year.
The paper added: “The revised forecast reflects both the under-delivery of the CCGs savings programme and a significant number of costs pressures that have hit the CCG since the planning round. The governing body should note the majority of these cost pressures relate to nationally mandated expenditure such as continuing healthcare price increases and the removal of contractual penalties.”
The most recent finance reports for Cannock Chase and SE Staffs and Seisdon CCGs only cover the five-month period to August. The reports said various reserves and contingencies would be used to help recover the position, but warned that significant proportions of their efficiency plans remained unidentified.
The CCGs forecasting the largest overspend for the year (by proportion of planned spend)
| YTD overspend (£m) | YTD overspend % | Forecast overspend (£m) | Forecast overspend % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Havering | -£5.9 | 3.1 | -£17.1 | 4.5 |
| Shropshire | -£15.6 | 7.3 | -£16.3 | 3.7 |
| Barking and Dagenham | -£2.5 | 1.7 | -£10.7 | 3.6 |
| East Surrey | -£6.7 | 6.3 | -£7.5 | 3.5 |
| Redbridge | -£2.3 | 1.2 | -£10.7 | 2.8 |
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