A NEWLY formed Birmingham and Solihull super-group of GPs’ services has received a ‘good’ rating in NHS England’s end-of-year annual assessment.
The new Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is a fusion of several Birmingham and Solihull CCGs creating a new single commissioning organisation established in April – buying in services for patients in the region.
Each body which merged to form the new CCG received ‘good’ ratings. They are NHS Birmingham CrossCity CCG, NHS Birmingham South Central CCG and NHS Solihull CCG.
A spokesperson from the CCG said: “This has been a considerable achievement by the CCG; the ratings reflect the significant progress made and stability provided for the health system in Birmingham and Solihull.
“It provides a strong and positive position for the new CCG to move forward from.”
The spokesperson said a key area of progress has been the CCG’s improved partnerships across Birmingham and Solihull.
This included being a stronger partner in the Sustainability and Transition Partnership (STP) – which aim to improve health and care in individual localities in the long term.
The CCG’s merger, and the benefits this has brought with a single leadership team and commissioning voice, were also noted by NHS England.
The end-of-year assessment did say the CCG must remain focused on improving specific targets around urgent care, cancer waits and the transforming care partnership, as well as ensuring a robust organisational development approach.
Paul Jennings, chief executive, said: “These are really positive ratings and are testament to the hard work of our colleagues.
“We are committed to creating an ambitious and progressive organisation, one that has clear and shared values; we are currently working with our CCG colleagues to develop and embed this across the organisation.
“Starting on our journey to become a more strategic commissioner, we will be tackling local challenges in a more joined-up way with local partners, to ensure our patients can access joined-up care across Birmingham and Solihull.
“This will mean removing organisational boundaries and supporting the development of new ways of doing things.
“We will retain a clear focus on reducing health inequalities and improving health outcomes for all, whilst ensuring a sustainable health service for the long-term.”
