40% of CCGs enlist private support
Released 11/01/2012
CCGs spending over £75,000 each using external commissioning support
Department of Health guidelines recommend that commissioning support should not be opened to the market until 2016
Four in ten Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have started to use private commissioning support, with several having already having signed deals with external firms.
An assessment of data under the Freedom of Information Act by Pulse reveals that of the 86 CCGs that were assessed, 41% have taken on private commissioning support.
The information also found that CCGs are spending a total of £2,753,000, with the amount spent on external commissioning support averaging out at £76,472 for each CCG.
Though this early spending is likely to be due to preparing CCGs for authorisation, the figures will likely fuel concerns that NHS commissioning will become increasingly privatised.
Department of Health guidelines recommend that commissioning support should not be opened to the market until 2016, and should be run by the NHS commissioning board from 2013 until then.
The British Medical Association has previously warned CCGs that the provision of support services could be taken over primarily by large commercial organisations.
Dr Mark Spencer, a GP in Acton and executive member of Ealing Commissioning Consortium, told Pulse: “The DH guidelines are very clear that all commissioning support has to be externalised. The current organisational support has been a benefit. It means the existing staff are more likely to be in a position to fight off external NHS competition [in the future].”
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