Events

New authority to lay foundations for NHS Commissioning Board

The NHS Commissioning Board Authority, a special health authority and the shadow form of the NHS Commissioning Board, is now in operation.
The Board will be chaired by Professor Malcolm Grant, Provost of University College London.

Subject to passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament, over the next 12 months the Board Authority will focus on designing an innovative business model for the Board, which puts patients and clinical leadership at its heart.

It will also work with Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) leaders, GPs and the Department of Health to agree the method for establishing, authorising and running CCGs.

In addition, the Board Authority will prepare the NHS Commissioning Board to operate as an independent body from October 2012, again subject to passage of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Sir David Nicholson CBE, NHS Chief Executive, said: “Building this new system over the next two years, while delivering for our patients, increasing productivity and improving the quality of care, is a major challenge. But I firmly believe that what we are trying to achieve – a stronger, more innovative and more coherent commissioning system – will be critical to sustaining the NHS in years to come.”

The central role of the new Board will be to improve patient outcomes by supporting, developing and performance managing an effective system of CCGs.

The Board will also take responsibility for commissioning services that can only be provided efficiently and effectively at national or regional level. Sir David Nicholson summarised this as: “Using the £80 billion commissioning budget to secure the best possible outcomes for NHS patients.”

It is anticipated that the NHS Commissioning Board will become fully operational on 1 April 2013.

To find out more and to see Sir David speaking about the NHS Commissioning Board go to www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk

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