North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups

North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups
Name	North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups
Type	Consortium of Clinical Commissioning Groups
Region	North West London
Established	2013
Headquarters	London
Membership	Borough-based CCGs in North West London

North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commissioning Groups was a coalition of borough-level Clinical commissioning groups in North West London formed to coordinate health service planning, procurement, and transformation across multiple boroughs. It operated alongside NHS England and interacted with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and other providers to redesign hospital services, integrated care pathways, and commissioning strategies. The Collaboration engaged with regional stakeholders including NHS Trusts, Health and Wellbeing Boards, and national bodies to align local commissioning with wider NHS initiatives.

Overview

The Collaboration served a collective of Brent clinical commissioning group, Ealing clinical commissioning group, Hammersmith and Fulham clinical commissioning group, Harrow clinical commissioning group, Hillingdon clinical commissioning group, Hounslow clinical commissioning group, and Kensington and Chelsea clinical commissioning group (among others), coordinating strategic commissioning across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, City of Westminster, and adjacent boroughs. Its remit included acute service reconfiguration involving major providers such as Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, and academic partners like Imperial College London and Queen Mary University of London. The Collaboration aimed to implement policies emanating from national documents such as the NHS Five Year Forward View and to respond to pressures highlighted by reports from Care Quality Commission inspections and Monitor assessments.

History and formation

The Collaboration emerged in the context of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 reforms that created Clinical commissioning groups and reshaped NHS commissioning. Early coordination drew on precedents from the London Health Commission and programmes run by NHS England and Local Government Association partnerships. Key reconfiguration proposals — including options parcelling acute services across Charing Cross Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, and Northwick Park Hospital — prompted cross-CCG planning with input from clinicians associated with Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and specialist centres such as Great Ormond Street Hospital for paediatric pathways. The Collaboration’s work intersected with initiatives led by Lord Darzi and drew scrutiny similar to that faced by the Shaping a Healthier Future programme.

Governance and membership

Governance arrangements reflected collective decision-making among chairs and accountables from member CCGs and involved executive directors, medical leads, and clinical chairs drawn from organisations like NHS England regional teams. Membership included borough CCGs representing constituencies such as Ealing, Hounslow, Harrow, Brent, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. The Collaboration liaised with statutory bodies including Healthwatch England local branches, London Councils, and Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework reviewers. Clinical commissioning professionals coordinated with provider boards from trusts such as Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and academic partners including King's College London for service redesign and research.

Commissioning functions and services

Commissioning priorities spanned acute services, mental health pathways, community care, and specialised commissioning, aligning with national specialised services from NHS England Specialised Services. The Collaboration developed proposals affecting emergency care at St Mary's Hospital, elective surgery at Charing Cross Hospital, and mental health services provided by South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. It commissioned programmes for long-term conditions, working with voluntary sector organisations such as Royal Voluntary Service and academic bodies like University College London for outcomes evaluation. Procurement exercises and contract negotiations involved major commissioners and providers including Barts Health NHS Trust where cross-borough patient flows required coordinated commissioning.

Performance and outcomes

Performance reporting considered metrics from the NHS Constitution and assessments by the Care Quality Commission. Outcomes targeted reductions in non-elective admissions, improved planned care waits, and integrated mental health access, benchmarked against Metropolitan-wide performance panels convened by NHS England and the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Evaluations referenced studies from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and research collaborations with university partners such as Imperial College London and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Collaboration’s initiatives faced mixed results: some pathways showed reduced length of stay at trusts like Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, while planned reconfiguration faced delays akin to controversies seen in other London reconfigurations like Better Services Better Value.

Partnerships and integration

The Collaboration worked with multi-agency partners including Local Strategic Partnerships, borough Health and Wellbeing Boards, and statutory bodies such as NHS England and Public Health England. Integration efforts connected primary care networks and GP federations with secondary care providers, involving organisations like Royal College of General Practitioners and professional bodies including General Medical Council-registered clinicians. It also partnered with mental health trusts, community interest companies, and academic health science centres including UCLPartners and research arms of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for transformation programmes, digital initiatives referencing NHS Digital, and workforce development linked to Health Education England.

Controversies and criticisms

Proposals for acute service reconfiguration provoked criticism from local MPs, campaign groups, and borough councils such as Ealing Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council, echoing disputes seen in the Shaping a Healthier Future debate. Critics cited concerns raised by Care Quality Commission reports, parliamentary questions tabled in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and legal challenges referencing procurement and public consultation standards under the Localism Act 2011. Media scrutiny from outlets covering London health policy spotlighted tensions between commissioners and clinicians, and comparisons were made to other contentious NHS reorganisations such as changes involving North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and the review processes used by Monitor.

Category:Health in London