06.03.17
NHS England approves boundary changes to create new CCG
New boundaries have been approved by NHS England to change the organisational make-up of NHS Lancashire North CCG and NHS Cumbria CCG that will lead to a new Morecambe Bay CCG and a newly configured NHS North Cumbria CCG.
Morecambe Bay will cover the local area of North Lancashire as well as the South Lakes and Furness in South Cumbria, whilst North Cumbria will encompass Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland and Eden.
The change comes after months of discussion with patients, GPs, NHS England and local government representatives to build on the work undertaken by the NHS in Morecambe Bay as part of the area’s Better Care Together strategy.
Both the changed CCGs have announced that they support the boundaries being rearranged as it will lead to services being commissioned more efficiently and in a simpler way, and also will allow for health and social care to be integrated more easily in Morecambe Bay and North Cumbria.
The change was also undertaken due to recently announced sustainability and transformation plan footprints placing north and south Cumbria in different areas.
Speaking of the change, Peter Rooney, chief operating officer for NHS Cumbria CCG, said: “Increasingly Cumbria has been seen as being part of two distinct healthcare systems. Because of this, we looked at a number of options and agreed the boundary change was the most appropriate way forward for Cumbria and North Lancashire.”
Andrew Bennett, chief officer at Lancashire North CCG, also expressed his agreement with the new CCG boundaries: “We have worked very closely with our colleagues in Cumbria in recent years and believe these changes make sense for the communities we serve in North Cumbria and Morecambe Bay.”
The boundary change will also mean alterations in some functions in the local offices of NHS England in Cumbria and Lancashire as contracts and responsibilities in South Cumbria managed by the Cumbria and North East team will transfer to NHS England’s Lancashire team on 1 April.
Jane Higgs, locality director for NHS England (Lancashire), added that changing CCG and NHS England boundaries to match the Lancashire and South Cumbria healthcare system and planning footprint “will benefit local organisations by reducing duplication and making it easier to plan services for the population in this area.”
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