NHS: Clinical Commissioning Groups

Baroness Walmsley Excerpts

Wednesday 16th September 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Baroness raises a very important issue. I think that she is raising issues not about the actual formula but about the speed at which NHS England reached the target levels of the formula. She points to the discrepancy of west London, which is 31% over the formula. I can tell her that NHS England is committed by 2017-18 to bringing all those under the formula by more than 5% up to that level. It will also be encouraged to address the issue of CCGs that are above the formula.

[Baroness Walmsley (LD)]

My Lords, given that the expertise of the CCGs is also very variable, in some areas the commissioning support groups are particularly important. Is the Minister satisfied that both the expertise and the funding of the commissioning support groups is appropriate?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Baroness is right that there is considerable variation in the performance of CCGs and, indeed, commissioning support groups. In an effort to address that variation, we are in discussions with the King’s Fund to publish in a very transparent and open way the performance of individual CCGs.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Lord makes an interesting and perceptive point. I have no doubt that if we look at the commissioning landscape in five years’ time there will be a lot more integrated commissioning and that social care and healthcare will be much more joined up.

[Baroness Walmsley]

My Lords, the criteria that the Minister mentioned sound all very well, but they do not take account of existing levels of ill health in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. The criteria he quoted do not take account of the need for catch-up for those populations.

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The report by the Public Accounts Committee raised the issue of whether deprivation was properly taken into account by the formula used by ACRA, and ACRA has agreed that in its new formulation it will look again at the adjustment it makes to the formula for deprivation.