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Priorities set as GPs take on health service budgets





The NHS stepped into a new era when GPs took over responsibility for buying and paying for local healthcare services in West Berkshire on April 1.
Newbury and District Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is a new body led by GPs, other clinicians and lay members who will plan and commission hospital, community health and mental health services on behalf of local people.
Newbury and District CCG will buy health care for the population of 113,000 with a commissioning budget of approximately £111m in the forthcoming year.
Clinical chairman of Newbury and District CCG, Dr Abid Irfan, said: "This is a new era in the NHS placing GPs and other clinicians right at the heart of commissioning.
"We already work closely with patients in West Berkshire so are best placed to understand their health needs allowing us to buy services that will provide quality care.
"Our top priorities for the Newbury area over the next year will be to further improve the services offered to people with diabetes, to work closely with carers to help support people living at home and to encourage more people aged 40 to 74 to have cardio vascular health checks which help identify conditions like heart disease."
Newbury and District CCG has been fully authorised by the NHS Commissioning Board to take on its new commissioning role on April 1 after a rigorous assessment was made to sure it’s processes and systems were safe and effective
The members of the governance board of Newbury and District CCG are Dr Abid Irfan (clinical chairman); Dr Angus Tallini (clinical lead and a GP partner at Falkland’s Surgery); Dr Alexander Anderson (a partner at the Hungerford Surgery); Dr Barbara Barrie (clinical lead); Dr Jimmy Lennox (clinical lead); Derek Fawcett (secondary care consultant); Debbie Daly (nurse director); Philip McNamara (director of operations); Penny Henrion (lay member); Graham Lovelock (lay member); Cathy Winfield (accountable officer); Janet Meek (chief financial officer).
There are 11 GP practices in the Newbury and District CCG: Burdwood, Thatcham, Chapel Row, Hungerford, Downland, Kintbury, Northcroft, St Mary's, Eastfield, Falkland, Lambourn.
Across England, 211 CCGs have become commissioners of healthcare services and are responsible for a total budget of £65billion. In Berkshire there are seven CCGs.



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