Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will pause the mergers of clinical commissioning groups until the covid-19 outbreak has abated.

NHS England has been clear that, to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) need to streamline their commissioning arrangements. In many places, this means encouraging CCGs to merge, so they better align with integrated care systems.

We recognise that COVID-19 is adding pressure to the system – however, allowing CCGs to merge will produce a stronger commissioning voice, better able to support the National Health Service to respond to COVID-19, as well as supporting transformation and the delivery of the Long Term Plan.