Clinical Commissioning

Clinical Commissioning

Good Governance is essential in ensuring effective business practice in clinical commissioning organisations. The Good Governance Institute is part of the Capsticks Alliance for Change. GGI's experienced team of practitioners can support the development of clinical commissioning groups helping them find the governance arrangements that best suit their plans to transform commissioning and achieve better outcomes for their local populations. Our work includes:

  • Help GPCCs understand the benefits of good governance, and develop their own proposed structures and systems
  • Undertake GPCC board development sessions, to lead pathfinders through to successful authorisation by the NCB
  • Help individuals with leadership roles in GPCCs develop
  • Facilitate the development and Implementation of QIPP Plans, including reducing costs through the shifting of care provision
  • Support patient and public engagement
  • Health and wellbeing boards
  • Board challange sessions
  • Development of clinical pathways

GGI commissions have included:

National Leadership Council video developing governance within GP Clinical Commissioning

NHS Heart of Birmingham who have commissioned the GGI to work with the five GP Clinical Commissioning (GPCCGs) groups to develop a programme to raise awareness of governance issues. This includes providing developmental support to enable working towards better governance practice. Working closely with the leadership of the GPCCs, GGI has the GPCCs gain an understanding of what they should be doing as they progress towards authorisation. In parallel working up an outline cycle of business for a GPCC and developing work on how the five GPCCs could usefully work together as a federation in the coming year.

Ranjit Sondhi CBE, Chair of NHS Heart of Birmingham said "We engaged the Good Governance Institute (GGI) to work with the General Practitioners in the Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust to enable them to think individually and collectively about how the new commissioning consortia will be managed and governed. GGI were remarkably quick in understanding, and developing, the brief and were extremely prompt in thier response. From the regular feedback received at every stage of the assignment,  they demonstrated a deep  insight into the uniquely challenging world of our GPs. They handled the wide diversity of HoB with deftness and ease. Their expertise in handling complex information and difficult relationships won them the respect and admiration of the clinical community. They have taken us a long way in preparing for the future NHS" 

In partnership with Capsticks the GGI has developed a white paper on the governance issues for new GPCCGs.

Southwark Clinical Commissioning Committee and Business Support Unit - working with this board to develop thinking around risk appetite. This has led to a publication and has formed the basis for a significant new support service for boards which is described in our section on risk appetite

The South East London Pathfinders - Conflict of Interest (CoI) was identified by the South East London PCT Cluster as an issue they were keen for their aspiring CCGs to address, and so GGI was commissioned to develop support and training for the six South East London PCT Cluster LCCG boards. Using case studies GGI developed an interactive session for the boards to help the clinical commissioners understand how to use good CoI practice will help protect reputation and navigate procurement law. In particular, we found that pathfinder boards needed support and advice about how they were to at the same time gain the best of clinical advice to shape their service specifications but do so in a way that avoided compromising procurement regulations and Competition law. We will be producing a publication from this work to help aspiring CCGs across the country. Demonstrating good CoI practice is an essential element of gaining CCG authorisation by the NCB.

Wandsworth and Great West aspirant CCGs are both working with GGI as part of our service through Capsticks' Alliance for Change. GGI is providing the majority of the subject matter experts for these development programmes (commissioning, finance, communications, patient and public involvement, diversity and inclusion, governance) as well as leading the board development programmes for both organisations.

For more information on our Clinical Commissioning work contact andrew.corbett-nolan@good-governance.org.uk