By April 2013 clinical commissioning groups will take on responsibility for health care budgets.
In Sussex there are seven clinical commissioning groups:
- Brighton and Hove CCG
- Coastal Community Healthcare CCG (covering the Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford localities)
- Crawley CCG
- Coastal West Sussex CCG (covering Adur, ARCH - Bognor Regis and Chichester, Arun, Cissbury - Worthing, and Chanctonbury)
- Hastings and Rother CCG
- Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG
- High Weald and Lewes-Havens CCGs
What will CCGs be responsible for?
Current plans suggest that clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for:
- services from hospitals (planned, routine care, and emergency care)
- community and primary care services (district nurses, community matrons, health visitors)
- mental health services
- prescribing
- learning disabilities services
- corporate management (managers to support the GPs)
Commissioning groups will not be responsible for contracting:
- primary medical, dental, optometric, pharmaceutical services
- health improvement and prevention (though clinical commissioning groups will be expected to work with local authorities to achieve this, see below for Public Health)
- adult or children’s social care
- The clinical commissioning groups will operate in shadow form from April 2012, taking on greater responsibility for commissioning health services for their local communities.
