To consider the proposals, by Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG to merge the existing four NHS CCGs (in Herefordshire, Redditch and Bromsgrove, South Worcestershire and Wyre Forest) to form a single CCG footprint for the whole of Herefordshire and Worcestershire by April 2021, with the (preferred) option to undertake this change earlier, by April 2020. 

The Committee considered proposals, by Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCGs to merge the existing four NHS CCGs (in Herefordshire, Redditch and Bromsgrove, South Worcestershire and Wyre Forest) to form a single CCG footprint for the whole of Herefordshire and Worcestershire by April 2021, with the (preferred) option to undertake this change earlier, by April 2020. 

Given the nature of the business to be discussed members of the children and young people scrutiny committee had been invited to attend and contribute to the Committee’s meeting

Dr Talbot-Smith gave a presentation to the Committee.  The slides had been circulated as a supplement to the agenda papers.

The chairperson invited comments and questions.  The principal points included:

·        In relation to consultation on the proposal Mr Trickett commented that the proposal was a back office, administrative reorganisation that did not involve service change.  It was change to services or access to services that legally required consultation to be undertaken.  NHS England should have run any consultation on the current proposal because it would ultimately be their decision.  They had decided that as a matter of national policy CCGs would become bigger and merge.  However, the CCGs wanted to maintain good relations with stakeholders and welcomed their views hence the current consultation exercise.

·        The four CCGs had been working together closely for some years on the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.  Local authorities had been closely engaged in this process seeking to achieve a local answer to the challenges faced.

·        The proposal would reduce the number of commissioning manager posts.  He himself was already the sole accountable officer for all four CCGs.  This reduction in duplication and cost was a big contribution to achieving the 20% saving in running costs by March 2020 that all CCGs were being required to make under national policy.

·        The timing of the current consultation had been constrained by the local government elections.  He outlined the consultation process.

·        Given the national policy meant that merger would take place, one question was over the timing of any merger.  He noted that delaying merger for one year to March 2021 would mean finding a way to achieve the required savings to which merger was expected to contribute.

·        He considered that it would be most productive if the Committee were to focus on what type of larger organisation was formed, what worked as a place based service for Herefordshire, and how to protect a constructive working relationship.

·        He believed that there would always be an office presence in Herefordshire.  There would also be a managing director working in the County whose main job would be to build relationships with the local authority.  There would always be separate S75 legal agreements for the two counties because there were different things the CCGs wanted to do, different ambitions and different ways of achieving those ambitions.

·        Dr Tait commented that clinicians were keen to see services as close to the user as possible.  Instead of funding administration some of the required saving would allow additional expenditure on frontline  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7