Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) may see their final authorisation decisions delayed by over a month if the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) is to approve proposals at this week’s board meeting (20th September).
A discussion paper seeks the approval of NHS CB members to further determine how the moderation, conditions and decision elements of the CCG authorisation process will operate.
One of the key proposals laid out in the paper is that the CCG should obtain the recommendations of the Conditions Panel prior to decisions being made by the CCG Authorisation Sub-Committee of the NHS CB.
The proposal, which has been developed in response to CCG feedback, means CCGs will have two weeks to comment and provide any new evidence that may remove the need for a specific condition.
If the proposal is approved, it means the final authorisation decision by the CCG Authorisation Sub-Committee of the NHS CB will be four to five weeks later for each wave, and that first decisions on CCG authorisation will be due in November 2012, rather than October.
The paper also recommends a standard review date of March 2013 is built into all CCG conditions and that CCGs may submit evidence to the relevant regional office which will determine whether the condition can be removed.
For the more substantial conditions, the sub-committee will need to sanction their removal.
Following the decisions of the Board, CCGs should expect to receive a factsheet on the reviewed authorisation process.
