Defining the future of clinical networks at NHS Confederation

June 26, 2012 - PRLog -- At the 2012 NHS Confederation conference held in Manchester 20-22 June, Lucy Grothier, Director of the South London Cardiovascular and Stroke Network (SLCSN), asked Professor Malcolm Grant DBE, Chair of the NHS Commissioning Board, for his view on the future of clinical networks.

In a panel session, Building the new system, key leaders discussed the infrastructure within the new NHS, including the creation of hundreds of new clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), health and wellbeing boards, the NHS Commissioning Board and its hosting of clinical networks and senates and the new roles of the CQC and Monitor. Through their introductions, each panellist noted the vital importance of integration and collaboration to the success of the healthcare system.

Lucy took the opportunity during the Q&A to request clarity on the future of clinical networks from Prof Grant, asking, “Networks are an example of working together already. We understand that clinical networks and senates will continue and be hosted by the Commissioning Board. How do you envisage this will operate to enable for the continuation of the transformational change that we do and also the integrated care that currently exists?”

Prof Malcolm Grant’s full response:

“I don’t think we see anything that would disturb the operation of existing networks but to use them as a model for what we do for the future.

“We anticipate that we will have clinical senates around the country, providing advice and counsel to the clinical commissioning groups and to others across the system. We need to ensure that we’ve got networks operating in a way which give us joinder across the different parties who are involved in patient care and in social care, and then clinical senates giving good clinical input into decisions that are being taken.

“It may have been noticed that when we’ve appointed non executive directors to the clinical commissioning board we didn’t put clinicians on the non executive front because I wanted to give absolute clarity to the clinical leadership of [Sir] Bruce Keogh [NHS Medical Director] and Jane Cummings [Chief Nursing Officer, NHS Commissioning Board], but to also work with them to ensure we have good clinical support through senates and through other groupings across the country to ensure that we remain focused on clinical excellence.”

Watch the videos from the NHS Confederation conference online. http://conference.nhsconfed.org/2012/Pages/Watch-again.aspx  

--ENDS--
Notes to editors:
•   More information about the South London Cardiovascular and Stroke Network is available online, http://www.slcsn.nhs.uk. Contact us on 020 8812 5953 or info@slcsn.nhs.uk.
•   The NHS Confederation is the membership body for the full range of organisations that commission and provide NHS services. Its annual conference services as a conference is always a dynamic forum for discussion and debate.
•   The 'Building the new system' session took place on day three of the NHS Confederation’s annual conference.  Three representatives of key NHS bodies discussed the transition to the new structure and the roles of new bodies: Dame Jo Williams, chair CQC, David Bennett, chief executive of Monitor, and Professor Malcolm Grant, chair of the NHS Commissioning Board (http://www.nhsconfed.org/priorities/latestnews/Pages/Coll...).