Merger approved for three North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups

NHS England has approved the merger of three North Yorkshire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The three CCGs – NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby CCG, NHS Harrogate and Rural District CCG and NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG – will become the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group on 1 April 2020.

We welcome NHS England’s decision and the benefits it will bring to the people of North Yorkshire.

As a single organisation we will be able to:

• Eliminate unnecessary duplication and bureaucratic boundaries to work more efficiently together and with our partners.
• Ensure consistency of decision making for the people of North Yorkshire.
• Develop a unified approach to relationships with the new North Yorkshire Primary Care Networks.
• Provide a more agile and responsive service which maintains a local focus but enables us to obtain better value for money by commissioning at scale.
• Reduce administrative costs to enable more investment in front line health services.
• Share good practice and adopt the best from each of the three existing CCGs.
• Speak as a unified commissioning voice for the benefit of our local population.
• Work more strategically on a larger footprint with our local and regional partners.

This merger follows reviews carried out by each of the three North Yorkshire CCGs last year and builds on work already started to improve the way that the CCGs work together and deliver for local people. A single leadership team has already been appointed, following decisions by each CCG’s governing body in summer 2018, and we have already begun to look at how best to structure the new organisation.

Charles Parker, GP and Chair Designate of the North Yorkshire CCG said: “The North Yorkshire CCG will retain the existing commitment to strong clinical leadership and focus on the needs of local people, drawing in best practice from learning across North Yorkshire. The governance model we have developed will still allow there to be strong local leadership and patient engagement, ensuring each area of North Yorkshire will continue to have a strong clinical voice and patients’ views are represented.”

Amanda Bloor, Accountable Officer for the three North Yorkshire CCGs said: “A single commissioning voice will make it easier to reduce some of the health inequalities we see across the county and respond consistently to the needs our population. The merger also will enable us to work more efficiently and at scale freeing up resources to invest in front line health services.”

Work will continue in the months ahead with the community, staff and partners to further develop the North Yorkshire CCG before it begins operations on 1 April 2020. This will include beginning operations in shadow form from the beginning of the new year and developing our operational plan for our first year as well as longer term strategies to guide the work of the new organisation.