• The Public Accounts Committee has published its report on clinical commissioning groups.
• It states that the NHS long term plan is the latest change in three decades of changes to the structure of NHS commissioning organisations.
• The long term plan's ambition for integrated care systems to cover the whole of England by 2021 will result in a reduction in the number of clinical commissioning groups.
• The report states that the public will need to know how changes in organisational structures will benefit healthcare and health outcomes in their area.
  
  

Responding to the Public Accounts Committee report on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

“We welcome the Public Accounts Committee report which highlights the rapid progress accomplished by trusts, CCGs and their partners towards working more collaboratively across local health and care systems.

We welcome the Public Account’s Committee report which highlights the rapid progress accomplished by trusts, CCGs and their partners towards working more collaboratively across local health and care systems.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“We also welcome plans to move to a strategic commissioning function in the NHS. However, the report is right to highlight that the NHS long term plan’s aspiration for integrated care systems (ICSs) to cover the country by 2021 is highly ambitious. As all systems will need support to develop the relationships needed for system working to progress, it also seems ambitious to expect CCGs to align with ICSs so rapidly.

“As the report highlights, the move to more joined up working across health and care has made governance in the NHS more complex. It is essential that we maintain clear lines of accountability for quality of care from trust boards to the public.”