CCG response to clinical services review

Hospital WardHarrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the new clinically-led organisation taking over responsibility for buying most of the NHS services for the Harrogate district from April 2013.

These services include hospital, community and mental health services.

The CCG covers a population of around 160,000 and represents 19 GP practices.

The CCG’s commissioning budget for 2013/14 is around £173 million

A review report on the North Yorkshire and York Clinical Services was presented to the Board of NHS North Yorkshire and York this on 22 January 2013.

The full report is here North Yorkshire and York clinical services review

Dr Alistair Ingram, a Ripon-based GP, is the Clinical Chair of the CCG. Dr Ingram is part of the CCG’s Governing Body comprising a number of other local GPs, senior managers, health professionals and lay members.

Dr Alistair Ingram, Clinical Chair of the Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group
Dr Alistair Ingram, Clinical Chair of the Harrogate and Rural District Clinical Commissioning Group

We welcome the publication of this report which sets out broadly how CCGs like us can develop a health system for our population which is fit for the long term. It has been very helpful in bringing together over 150 clinicians and leaders from across the health and social care system, making sure that a wide range of views has been considered.

We are encouraged to see that we are already pursuing a lot of the recommendations within the report – with some changes already taking place on the front line of our services.

We are a leading voice in the local Dementia Collaborative which brings together professionals from the hospital and mental health trusts, local authority and voluntary sector organisations to help us improve the way we provide services to people with this condition.

We are also introducing integrated care teams in the Harrogate district. These are teams of health and social care professionals who, by working together under one roof, are improving the quality of service provided to vulnerable people in their own homes.

It is unfortunate that we, along with the other clinical commissioning groups in North Yorkshire, will have to take on a share of the financial deficit when we take control of NHS commissioning. We recognise that a number of people have campaigned for this debt to be written off and we thank them for their efforts.

We’d like to reassure people that we are taking this financial position into account as part of our planning for the future so we can avoid any short term or knee jerk service changes. We are currently finalising our plans for 2013/14 and the longer term, and we will be engaging with people on them as soon as we can.

 

For more information visit www.harrogateandruraldistrictccg.nhs.uk

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