The South Reading Clinical Commissioning Group is now authorised and operational as of 1st April 2013. Its website is at www.southreadingccg.nhs.uk and its twitter name is @SReadingCCG.
 
The local Berkshire West federation of Clinical Commissioning Groups has set up a website about Diabetes and Diabetes care. We have retaned a few CCG documents here temporarily. 
 
The documents here are the CCG constitution in four parts - currently in shadow form but very close to what it will be - and the DRAFT "plan-on-a-page" required by the National Commissioning Board - to give an outline of the CCG's plans for the financial year 2013-14. . 
 
Then we also have the South Reading CCG draft plan for 2013-14 and the Health and Well-Being Board's Strategy for 2013-14 to which the plan referers. 
 
Primary care performance indicators (2012): South Reading CCG QOF Indicators for 2012 

We will be meeting between 6pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday, 27th February 2013. The main topics for discussion will be the new 111 non-emergency phone service and an update on the South Reading CCG.

The South Reading Patient Voice will meet at the University Health Centre on Northcourt Avenue at 6pm-7:30pm on Wednesday, 27th February 2013.

On 1st February, the local branch of the national 38 degrees campaign presented a petition to the South Reading NHS Clinical Commissioning Group as part of their national campaign. The petition was presented by a small group of supporters and received by Dr Elizabeth Johnston on behalf of the CCG. The text read 
"Our NHS is precious, and we're relying on you to protect it. Please do all you can to stop local health services being broken up or taken over by irresponsible private companies.

 

• Protect local NHS services and consult patients properly before making changes
• Spend money wisely and dont do deals with irresponsible private companies
• Adopt policies and a constitution which reflect these values

"

At the meeting of 30th January the national AQP (any qualified provider) programme was discussed. Each commissioning trust had been obliged to choose three areas to open up to multiple suppliers. In Berkshire the areas are Adult Hearing (tests and provision of hearing aids with follow up), Non-Obstetric Ultrasound (scanning but not of the unborn child) and Podiatry (Foot care). Where there are multiple suppliers the patient chooses with the help and advice of their GP. who provides the referral. For Adult Hearing the five suppliers are: Berkshire Healthcare NHS FT, Royal Berkshire NHS FT, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS FT, Specsavers Hearing Group Ltd. and Sussex Healthcare Audiology Ltd whose services are operational; for Non-Obstetric Ultrasound the five suppliers are: Care UK Specialist Medical Imaging Ltd., Diagnostic Health Systems Ltd., Global Diagnostics Ltd., Physiological Measurements Ltd., Royal Berkshire NHS FT where so far contracts have been signed; for Podiatry there is one supplier, Berkshire Healthcare NHS FT whose contract has been signed. 
  
Concerns were expressed about the fragmentation of services, about the increased complexity of the GP's task, about the possibility that the 20% or so patients with more complex needs might not be referred to the Royal Berkshire NHS FT, about the sustainability of the full range of audiology services at the Royal Berkshire NHS FT. Additionally one of the audiology suppliers was thought to operate a franchising structure.
 
The group passed a resolution that " Patient Voice was not given enough information to give considered and constructive comment on the choice of services suitable for Any Qualified Provider and had there been sufficient information it would not have recommended audiology".

From April 2013, NICE will develop a library of quality standards and guidance to improve the quality of care and support, in consultation with the care and support sector, care users, their families and carers. The Department for Health is issuing a consultation document on social care standard - responses to be in by 20th April 2013. Locally Healthwatch, the successor to LiNK, will take on the role of consumer champion for Social Care as well as for Health.

The South Reading Patient Voice will meet at the University Health Centre on Northcourt Avenue at 6pm-7:30pm on Wednesday, 30th January 2013. The Agenda will include presentation and discussions on AQP (any qualified provider - the Government's choice of supplier approach), the progress of the CCG and the commissioning plan for South Reading. This is a chance to get an understanding of the coming shape of our health services as the new arrangements finally take shape.

In a paper to be considered at the (shadow) Health and Well-Being Board on 25th January 2013, Reading Borough Council has published its response to the public consultation on Reading's Health and Well-Being Strategy for 2013-14. Please see the attached link for access to this paper. Much of the comment is in the way of fleshing out the strategy and changing or introducing new points of emphasis. It is stressed that the strategy is an evolving document.

The next meeting of the Reading Borough Health and Well-Being Board is on Friday 25th January at 2pm in the Kennet Room of the Reading Civic Offices. These meetings are open to the public. To request papers in advance contact Nicky Simpson at Reading Borough Council using this form.

We will be meeting between 6pm and 7:30pm on Wednesday, 30th January 2013. The Agenda will include presentation and discussions on AQP (any qualified provider - the Government's choice of supplier approach), the progress of the CCG and the commissioning plan for South Reading.