1. Home
  2. Issue

Issue - meetings

Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) merger

Meeting: 28/11/2019 - Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 21)

21 Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) merger pdf icon PDF 151 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

4.      

5.      

6.      

7.      

8.      

9.      

10.      

11.      

12.      

13.      

14.      

15.      

16.      

17.      

18.      

19.      

20.      

21.      

21.1.     The Committee considered a report providing an update on the proposals to merge the three East Sussex CCGs. The Committee then asked the witnesses present a number of questions.

21.2.     The Committee asked how local representatives will be appointed to the East Sussex CCG Governing Body

21.3.     Terry Willows explained that localities, such as Hastings, High Weald, Eastbourne, etc., will be represented by a GP who is elected by the GP membership for that locality to the CCG’s Governing Body.

21.4.     In addition to the Governing Body meetings, locality meetings are expected to involve the broader GP membership and local residents interested in being involved. Healthwatch and Patient Participation Groups representation is also being considered for CCG committees that, once established, will exercise powers delegated from the Governing Body.

21.5.     The Committee asked whether the local authority representatives on the CCG board will have voting rights

21.6.     Terry Willows explained that local authority representatives cannot be voting members due to the Health and Social Care Act 2012 only permitting employees or appointees of the statutory body, the CCG, a vote. He added that the current local authority representative of the existing CCG Boards, the Director of Public Health, plays a very full role in deliberations and discussions.

21.7.     The Committee questioned whether there was sufficient engagement by the CCGs of district and borough councils.

21.8.     Terry Willows said that he would reflect on the feedback that the district and boroughs were not sufficiently involved in CCG decision making. He said the core reason to merge the CCGs was to improve commissioning of the wider determinants in relation to health, such as housing, and district and boroughs have an important role to play in delivering in these areas, for example, in their role as housing authorities. Jessica Britton added that the CCGs work closely on a range of projects with district and borough councils, including prevention and health improvement programmes like Healthy Hastings and Rother. She said the locality structure of the new East Sussex CCG will provide opportunities for additional engagement with stakeholders like the district and borough councils at a locality level.

21.9.     The Committee asked what difference the public would see once the new CCG was in place

21.10.  Terry Willows said the aim is for the East Sussex CCG to engage with patients and public in an improved and consistent way. He hoped, therefore, that the public would notice they are being listened to more by the new CCG and that it was commissioning new services that better meet the public’s needs.

21.11.  Terry Willows explained the new operating structure of the CCG will include additional capacity in the communications and engagement team, which will help take information from the localities and use it to help inform decision making at an East Sussex level.  The CCG is also looking at improving public engagement with the CCG decision-making process,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21