15.10.13
CCGs should control primary care budget – Mike Dixon
Clinical commissioners should have control of the primary care budget to develop a more integrated NHS, Dr Michael Dixon will suggest in a speech at Westminster Health Forum.
Dr Dixon, who is chairman of the NHS Alliance, president of NHS Clinical Commissioners and a member of NHE’s editorial board, will say that the future of the NHS depends on creating a primary care-led NHS. This would use secondary care only when necessary and appropriate, rather than as the default.
He will highlight two threats to this aim; an “uncompetitive” payment by results approach to funding, and the split of primary and secondary care budgets between NHS England and CCGs.
For CCGs to have the headroom to redesign services they should hold GP and specialist contracts, allowing more community work and integrated services, he will urge.
Dr Dixon is to say: “It is lunacy expecting Clinical Commissioning Groups to redesign care and extend the ability of community services and general practice to look after patients closer to home, while separating the budget for primary care – which goes to NHS England – from that for commissioning community and hospital services – which goes to CCGs.”
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