Commissioning groups need local knowledge, says RCP
As the Health and Social Care Bill goes to committee stage in the House of Lords, the RCP is calling for the government to guarantee that specialist doctors and nurses who sit on the boards of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) do not have to be from outside the local area. CCGs will need local knowledge to make the best commissioning decisions. CCGs should be able to appoint the best person for the job against a clear role specification. We also believe this will help to improve integrated working.
To strengthen collaboration across the health, public health and social care, the RCP are recommending a duty of mutual cooperation and collaboration is given to the NHS Commissioning Board, CCGs, providers and local authorities. We would like the government to clarify how and in what circumstances they anticipate competition would apply in the health service and whether EU procurement and competition law will apply.
The RCP will also be seeking amendments that we hope will ensure that NHS will be able to continue to train adequate numbers of doctors. We see this as part of the Secretary of State’s duty to secure the provision of a comprehensive health service.
Notes
The RCP have now distributed our parliamentary briefing to peers in advance of the start of committee stage on 25 October. The briefing can be downloaded from the RCP’s website.
For more information please contact:
Lisa Cunningham, Senior public affairs and PR officer
External Affairs, Communications Department, Royal College of Physicians
lisa.cunningham@rcplondon.ac.uk
Direct line +44 (0)20 30751468
Mobile 07990745610
Lisa Cunningham | Senior Public Affairs and PR Officer
External Affairs, Communications Department | Royal College of Physicians
11 St Andrews Place | Regent’s Park | London NW1 4LE
Direct line +44 (0)20 30751468 | Mobile 07990745610 | Fax +44 (0)20 7486 5425| www.rcplondon.ac.uk | facebook | twitter | linkedin
-01.png){kind=spacer}