Councils call for primary care commissioning role

London Councils, which represents the capital’s 32 boroughs, has written to NHS England calling for local authorities to have a bigger role in several ways.

The letter, shared with HSJ, comes as NHS England examines bids from most clinical commissioning groups to “co-commission” general practice, which the national organisation is currently responsible for.

London Councils chair Jules Pipe said in the letter to NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens that local government “has a positive role to play in the development of [co-commissioning] plans”.

Councillor Pipe said primary care was a “critical component of boroughs’ ambitions for integrated health and care services” and had “knock-on implications” for social care and public health.

He said co-commissioning was “clearly one important lever for bring about a transformation of primary care in the capital” but added: “[For] solutions to be really strong and able to secure widespread local engagement and support, they must be shaped by local authorities as well as CCGs.”

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Councillor Pipe said that “as a minimum” local authorities should be able to approve co-commissioning arrangements before they are signed off by NHS England.

His letter said: “The need to avoid conflicts of interests in CCGs taking on co-commissioning responsibilities for primary care is widely recognised, and we believe that boroughs and/or health and wellbeing boards could play a key role in overcoming this risk.

“We would like the opportunity for boroughs to explore with their CCGs way in which they might be partners in primary care co-commissioning.”

An NHS England spokesman said the body would respond to the letter in due course.