How does

How does NHS Midlands & East support and enable a commercial focus? ■■ Competition Panel with Independent Members NHS Midlands and East has appointed an independent Competition Panel to uphold the Principles and Rules of Cooperation and Competition (PRCC). The panel can provide advice to commissioners and is helping to ensure that good practice is spread across the region to ensure that the highest quality services are commissioned for our patients. ■■ Commercial Advisory Board The Commercial Advisory Board (CAB) brings together representatives from existing and potential future providers into a common forum to discuss system reform and market issues. This includes approaches to procurement, lowering barriers to market entry and innovative commissioning strategies. The CAB provides feedback on the strategic direction taken by PCTs and the SHA and serves to increase the flow of intelligence and exchange between providers, commissioners and the SHA. The recommendations of the CAB go to NHS Midlands and East’s Management Board. The membership comprises 15 to 20 members and providers from all sectors are represented as well as PCT cluster chief executives and members of the SHA senior leadership team, including the Director of Policy and Strategy and the Director of Customer Service and the Strategic Projects Team. ■■ Strategic Projects Team The Strategic Projects Team supports, designs and delivers innovation through strategic change, merger, divestment, acquisition and franchise. The team works alongside clients, stakeholders and the market place to develop competitive transactions that drive up the quality of patient experience, clinical excellence, value for money, safety and care, public service, quality, innovation and productivity. 8 Led by Andrew MacPherson, the Strategic Projects Team has designed and delivered ground breaking transactions such as the franchise agreement at Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust. The team has won a range of awards, including HealthInvestor Deal of the Year 2011.

Who are the Commissioners? Following the publication of the White Paper in July 2010 and planned system reform, the Department of Health concluded that it would not be possible to retain effective management capacity in all PCTs until their abolition in 2013 and that this would present unacceptable risks to quality and financial management. Therefore, in 2011, PCTs consolidated their management capacity, with single executive teams each managing a cluster of PCTs. Individual PCTs remain as statutory organisations and whilst the clusters are not statutory bodies or permanent features of the landscape, they are necessary to sustain PCT capability and enable the creation of the new system. 9 From April 2013, assuming the passage of the Health & Social Care Bill proceeds through Parliament as planned, commissioning will be carried out by CCGs. There are currently 71 emerging CCGs across the region, although it is likely that the final number will be slightly reduced from this.