NHS Alliance and NAPC in support of clinically-led commissioning

Released: 02/06/2011

The NHS Alliance and the National Association of Primary Care have joined forces to support clinically-led commissioning. In a letter sent to Professor Steve Field, chair of the government's NHS Future Forum review, both organisations highlighted the reasons why clinically-led commissioning is the way forward for the NHS and its patients.

Both organisations emphasised the role of general practitioners and primary care in designing and delivering better, more efficient, care to local populations.

The letter also urged the government to give GP commissioning consortia autonomy in their new role. It said: “Commissioning consortia should quite rightly be expected to demonstrate to the National Commissioning Board how they propose to provide assurance about their internal working arrangements - and this will play an important role for the local authority in terms of it overview and scrutiny role - but consortia must be autonomous and free from overt prescription as to what this should look like.”

Dr Michael Dixon, chairman of the NHS Alliance, said: “In the current climate of uncertainty, there is a lot of anxiety about the future of the NHS. Clinically-led commissioning is the key for a more sustainable, effective and patient-centred NHS, and we need to ensure we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Getting the NHS on the right track is about doing what is beneficial to our patients, not about fuelling political disagreements.”

Dr Johnny Marshall, Chairman of NAPC, said: “It is vitally important that governance of GP Commissioning Groups is robust and adheres to the highest standards for public bodies. But it is essential that these new commissioners are enabled to do what clinicians are best at, which is meeting the needs of their patients, rather than being mired in unnecessary bureaucracy imposed from on high.”  

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