Clinical commissioning groups can extend their contracts with commissioning support units until April 2016 under new plans announced by NHS England.
A letter from NHS England’s national director of commissioning development Rosamund Roughton says the overwhelming view of commissioners about procurement of support services is that the timetable should be sensible and “not divert the focus away from the important forthcoming contracting round”.
Without the extension, CCGs would have had to go out to formal procurement for support services within a year.
The letter says NHS England engaged with commissioners about how to encourage the development of a “vibrant market for commissioning support services”.
A formal response is due this autumn, but early feedback focused on the need for more flexible timescales.
“We are proposing, therefore, that where CCGs wish to do so, they extend their SLAs with CSUs until no later than April 2016,” the letter says.
“Many CCGs indicated that they wanted to use the extension as an opportunity to review their needs and renegotiate the arrangements with their CSU and I would actively encourage this.
“However, I would also ask that CCGs consider having these discussions with CSUs ahead of this year’s contracting round so that CCGs and CSUs are on a more sustainable footing ahead of working together to drive real quality and value improvements from providers.”
The letter says that while there are some good examples of CCGs and CSUs working together, there have also been teething problems and “priority should be given to forging even greater relationships so that CCGs’ concerns are identified and responded to rapidly”.
“We are very keen to explore ways in which CCGs can come together across a CSU patch to take a more active role in shaping the development of their CSU and exploring new products and areas of business,” it adds.
NHS England will be looking at how to establish these groups where they do not already exist.
“In the autumn, we will set out a more detailed package of support for CCGs covering many of the themes above, including a make/share/buy toolkit, opportunities to shape the strategic direction of your CSU, information about the lead provider framework and the timetable going forward,” the letter says.