NEWS
Widespread unrest among CCGs
PCT cluster offering because they were too busy to explore alterna- tive arrangements, whilst 26.7% indicated they has opted for their PCT clusters’ offering because re- lationships with PCT support staff were good.
The organisations most keen on clinical commissioning are concerned that the Government is bungling its roll-out and that the NHS centrally is micro-managing CCGs – despite ministers’ promise and intention to ‘liberate’ them from bureaucracy.
A survey by the Clinical Commis- sioning Coalition, made up of the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC) and NHS Alliance (NHSA), on CCGs’ commissioning support has revealed widespread dissatisfaction.
The survey, conducted in January,
got 95 responses from across the four SHA clusters: NHS London, NHS North of England, NHS Mid- lands and East, and NHS South of England.
It showed that less than a fifth of respondents were content with the rolling out of the programme of commissioning support, with 84.2% indicating they had not been given sufficient informa- tion about the choices of support available and would welcome more.
20% of respondents indicated they had decided to use their local
Trusts should not pay for FOI requests – FTN
The Foundation Trust Network (FTN) says that FOI requests are costing trusts far too much, and that those requesting information should pay for it in all but the most minor cases.
Trusts can only charge requesters if the cost of replying exceeds £450, but the FTN wants this limit lowered.
This would mean the vast majority of FOI requests would not be paid for by trusts.
Giving evidence to the Commons’ Justice Select Committee, the FTN said that due to financial pressures “it would be sensible to re-focus FOI activity more clearly on matters of public interest and to streamline the process for responding to le- gitimate requests”.
Each trust spends between £175,000 and £250,000 a year
4 | national health executive Mar/Apr 12
dealing with FOI requests, the FTN estimates, amounting to “significant sums of public money being diverted away from the core business of caring for patients”. It says many requests are made for commercial reasons, to help companies decide how to bid for services.
Many patients groups and health campaigners oppose the change, saying FOIs are instrumental in un- covering problems in the NHS.
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said the proposal would make it “pro- hibitively expensive” for people to make FOI requests, “which would not be in the interests of account- ability [or] transparency”.
The select committee is due to review submissions later this year, before recommending changes to the law.
The Health & Social Care Bill was set to clear Parliament and become law as NHE went to press, bringing to an end the legislative stage of the political battles over the reforms.
More health organisations now oppose the legislation than did in early 2011 when the reforms were subject to the ‘pause’ and listening exercise, while some of its original backers have become disillusioned over the amend- ments, lack of a cohesive Gov- ernment narrative for the reforms and problems with the roll-out of the restructuring.
Dr Charles Alessi, a senior figure in the Clinical Commissioning Co- alition, said: “Overall, the results do not inspire any confidence in the manner in which the clinical commissioning reform agenda is being rolled-out, nor, specifically, in the fact that CCGs are being al- lowed to exercise the very judge- ment that will be needed to meet the challenges of the NHS mod- ernisation agenda.
“The Health & Social Care Bill was intended to liberate clinicians to work with their patients. But the reality, as the implementation agenda unfurls, is that what we are seeing here is central control, which is incompatible with the in- tentions of the bill. Clinicians must
be given the scope to determine with whom they work and at what price. The propositions being put forward in some SHA clusters will severely restrict CCGs’ ability to transform and modernise care.”
Health secretary Andrew Lansley has recently written to all CCG leaders outlining the ‘freedoms’ they will enjoy in the reformed NHS – but the vast majority of them are warning that, in practice, the national NHS Commissioning Board and existing management structures are severely curtailing their freedoms.
A survey by research group False Economy, which is linked to the TUC and opposes the NHS re- forms, showed that in Shropshire, Swindon and Camden and north London, some GPs are spending four days of their working week setting up CCGs and in 16 other areas, at least one doctor spends at least three and a half days away from patients per week.
Health & Social Care Bill set to become law
A group of 240 healthcare professionals wrote to the Independent
on Sunday on
March 18 pledging to stand against coalition MPs at the next general election.
It was organised by NHS Consultants Association co- chair Dr Clive Peedell, and said: “It is our view that coalition MPs and peers have placed the political survival of the coalition government above professional opinion, patient safety and the will of the citizens of this country.”
Lord Owen, a critic of the
reforms, who has written in NHE about the issue, urged peers to vote to delay the legislation pending the possible publication of the confidential ‘risk register’. A DH appeal against an order by the Information Commissioner forcing it to publish the document was turned down at a tribunal.
© Department of Health
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