Telford and Wrekin CCG is pleased to announced that it has been accepted into Wave Two of the authorisation process.
Although, there is no advantage in being part of any particular wave as all CCGs will take on their new commissioning duties, if authorised, on 1 April 2013. This development signals the next step forward for the Clinical Commissioning Group.
The CCG will be expected to enter a thorough authorisation process, which will consider the organisation’s constitution, governance arrangements, financial planning and sustainability.
As part of entering Wave Two, the Clinical Commissioning Group will be expected to submit a detailed application on 1 September 2012. This will demonstrate how far the Clinical Commissioning Group has developed over the last 12 months, and also its preparedness for taking on full responsibility for local commissioning in April 2013.
Further information
Authorisation is a process to ensure that CCGs meet safe thresholds to assume their full statutory responsibilities and are ready to take on responsibility for health care budgets for their local communities.
Authorisation should not be seen as an end in itself, but as a first step on a journey towards continuous improvement.
The wave process has been established to manage the authorisation of over 200 emerging CCGs. There is no advantage in being part of any particular wave as all CCGs will take on their new commissioning duties, if authorised, on 1 April 2013, regardless of when they were authorised.
The Government’s ambition for the NHS to deliver health outcomes among the best in the world is rooted in the three principles of:
giving patients more information and choice
- focusing on healthcare outcomes and quality standards
- empowering frontline professionals with a strong leadership role
At the heart of these proposals are clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
CCGs are new, clinically-led organisations coming into being for the first time, and wishing to be as good as they possibly can be. Therefore the NHS Commissioning Board will have an important responsibility to support the development of CCGs as they move through authorisation. The full potential of the clinical leadership of commissioning will emerge over time through learning, innovation and experience.
Based on the membership of constituent practices and involving a broad range of professional groups, CCGs are a cornerstone of the Government’s reforms to give frontline professionals a strong leadership role in commissioning. By April 2013 the whole of England will be covered by established CCGs.
Once authorised, the CCG will become a statutory body and is ready to take on full commissioning responsibility from NHS Telford and Wrekin in April 2013. Once a statutory body, the Clinical Commissioning Group may be able to take on more delegated responsibilities, whilst still reporting to the Primary Care Trust.