Editor’s blog Thursday 16 December 2010: NHS Commissioning Board to run or sub-contract consortia not ready by April 2013

Are we going to get a remedial Commissioning Development Agency, to go alongside the Provider Development Agency for non-FTs?

“A minority of consortia might not be ready to take on full statutory responsibilities by April 2013. Whilst a core role of the NHS Commissioning Board during 2011/12 (in shadow form) and 2012/13 will be to help consortia prepare to take on these responsibilities, we recognise that there may be a small minority of consortia for whom this is not possible. The Bill will enable the Board in these circumstances to establish the consortium but to specify conditions about how it discharges some of its functions, or (in what we consider would be rare circumstances) to arrange for the Board itself – or another consortium acting on behalf of the Board – to exercise certain functions for a limited period while the consortium develops the necessary capacity.”