PLANS to replace the four doctor-led Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Herefordshire and Worcestershire with one single group are to go out for public consultation.
It comes as all NHS organisations are required to cut their running costs by 20 per cent by March 31, 2020, which means finding savings of nearly £2million across the two counties.
Currently they are covered by NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove CCG, NHS South Worcestershire CCG, NHS Wyre Forest CCG and NHS Herefordshire CCG.
Between them, they plan healthcare services for more than 750,000 people.
Simon Trickett, accountable officer for the Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCGs, said: “Our main priority is, and always will be, our patients and the health and wellbeing of our local population.
“Having already set up combined governance and decision-making arrangements across the four CCGs, this is the next logical step.
“By creating one single CCG, instead of the current four, we estimate we can save the required £2 million.
“I would like to emphasise this won’t have any impact on NHS services being provided across Herefordshire and Worcestershire; this is about reducing some of the bureaucracy and duplication that running four CCGs brings.”
The CCGs will be seeking people’s views on the proposal throughout June as part of a public consultation. Once people’s views have been received they will be summarised and considered ahead of any decision to form a single CCG.
