16649 Commissioning Newspaper-A4_Layout 1 04/08/2015 15:46 Page 21
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NEL CSU delivers services to 28 CCGs, covering a patient
population of more than 7 million across London, Essex,
Hertfordshire, Bedford, Luton and East Anglia.
Anne Whateley, director of strategy, business
development and workforce, says that similarities and
differences across the CCGs means that the CSU needs
to “tailor our offer”.
“It’s important for us to understand each CCG’s priorities.
There are individual differences between what CCGs
want, but also there’s a reality around economies of
scale. So each CCG wants some things locally, but some
of our more back office functions, IT help desk for
example, can be delivered remotely. It’s about really
identifying what can be done centrally at a lower cost,
and then what needs to be delivered locally.”
She believes that being an NHS organisation has many
benefits: “The feedback we get from the CCGs we work
with is that they like working with an organisation that
has NHS values and puts the patient at the centre of what
it does.”
But she would like NHS lead providers to have more
autonomy around finance and governance. “We don’t
have some of the freedoms that our private sector
competitors have, particularly in terms of investment
funds or being able to carry money from year to year.
There are number of freedoms that would help and one
is being able to form commercial partnerships. The other
is being able to invest funds from year to year - that then
allows us to benefit from longer term contracts.”
NEL CSU wants to remain sustainable in the future, but
also has ambitions to grow and develop. “[Th