Three regional CCG Commissioning Support Services (CSSs) have been ordered to stop operating after failing the NHS Commissioning Board’s (NHS CB) second ‘checkpoint’ assessment.
Three regional CCG Commissioning Support Services (CSSs) have been ordered to stop operating after failing the NHS Commissioning Board’s (NHS CB) second ‘checkpoint’ assessment.
West Mercia CSS, Peninsula CSS (Devon and Cornwall) and NHS Communications and Engagement Service were not ready to offer commercially viable services, affordable to CCGs and were not able to agree on a development and improvement plan with the NHS CB.
SHAs clusters are now working with CCGs, PCT clusters and other CSSs in the area to develop alternative plans.
The NHS Communications and Engagement Service is working on another business model, which is thought to be nationally coordinated in a similar way to the other ‘at scale’ commissioning support offers.
Twenty five regional NHS CSSs and the nationwide NHS Communications and Engagement Service submitted outline business plans for the NHS CB’s ‘Checkpoint 2’.
Fourteen CSSs will proceed to Checkpoint 3 with medium to low issues as part of their development plan. Such CSSs include: South Yorkshire, Merseyside, North East and Central and East London.
A further nine CSSs will have been allowed to continue operating but are deemed to have “issues that need more rapid management”. Such CSSs include: Greater Manchester, Surrey and Sussex, Essex and Greater East Midlands.
The NHS CB has said CSS development plans, and plans for those CSSs which have been stopped, are currently being drawn up “to ensure high quality commissioning support continues to be made available to all CCGs”.
Any development plans will be binding and if the milestones in the plan are not met the NHS CB is expected to review its support for the CSS.
