Accountable to whom, for what? An exploration of the early development of Clinical Commissioning Groups in the English NHS

Arrival from 12 noon. Seminar starts at 12.15pm and ends at 1.15pm.

Tea, coffee and sandwiches provided

A seminar by Dr Kath Checkland, a GP and a Reader in Health Policy and Primary Care, University of Manchester

‘The Government’s reforms will liberate professionals and providers from top-down control. This is the only way to secure the quality, innovation and productivity needed to improve outcomes. We will give responsibility for commissioning and budgets to groups of GP practices; and providers will be freed from government control to shape their services around the needs and choices of patients. Greater autonomy will be matched by increased accountability to patients and democratic legitimacy, with a transparent regime of economic regulation and quality inspection to hold providers to account for the results they deliver.’

"These words from the White Paper, Equity and Excellence spell out the twin aspirations of greater accountability of those responsible for commissioning care for patients, whilst at the same time providing commissioners with greater autonomy. This presentation reports the findings from a study of the early stages of development of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in England. We carried out detailed qualitative case studies in eight CCGs, using interviews, observation and documentary analysis to explore their multiple accountabilities. We found that CCGs are subject to a complex web of accountability relationships, including managerial, sanction-backed accountability to NHS England, alongside a number of other external accountabilities to the public and to some of the new organisations created by the reforms. In addition, unlike their predecessor commissioning organisations, they are subject to multiple internal accountabilities to their members. The presentation will describe and explain these complex accountabilities, and will discuss the implications for CCGs and for the wider NHS."

Dr Checkland's main research interests centre upon the impact of health policy, with a focus on NHS organisations. She leads the Health Policy, Politics and Organisations group within the Centre for Primary Care in the Institute for Population Health, and is Associate Director of the Department of Health-funded Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System. She will be leading the Primary Care theme within the new CLAHRC.