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Majority of CCGs successful in their first step towards authorisation

11/01/12

The Department of Health commissioning czar has revealed that most CCGs have passed their first step towards authorisation; with them all being classified mostly green.

CCGs had to complete a risk assessment of configuration by December 2011 as their first goal towards authorisation.

Dame Barbara Green said:

'If you look at the risk assessment across the country you will see a sea of green. The vast majority of CCGs are green on all points. We do have some ambers and reds and we will be working with them. The feeling that there will be lots of organisations that are not ready or not coming forward is now looking less and less likely.'

Another criterion for CCGs to fulfil before gaining authorisation is to have a definable boundary and no outliers, which puts local patients in the forefront of the GPs agenda, rather than the desire to work with other like-minded GPs.

Dame Green also hinted that the DH may give an indication – not a precise requirement – to what the minimum population size for CCGs must be, to ensure the CCG 'feel comfortable they would be able to fulfil their statutory duties'.

However, it may not be as easy as it looks to gain authorisation after Dr Michael Dixon, chair of the NHS Alliance has predicted that only half of CCGs will be given full permission to take on the budgets by April 2013.

Dr Dixon, who is also a GP and a keen supporter of the commissioning developments, said that the overly strict requirements to gain authorisation status could half the progression of the CCGs.