The Department of Health has published detailed estimates of the funding clinical commissioning groups will be handed when they assume statutory responsibility in 2013.
The projected spend per CCG has been calculated using data provided from PCTs covering the 2010/11 financial year, but the DH has released the information now as it says CCGs will be able to use it for ‘initial planning'.
The DH said the data, published alongside projections for public health and NHS Commissioning Board budgets, represented ‘an estimated baseline for prospective CCGs, based on future responsibilities for registered populations'.
It said actual allocations will be subject to decisions on areas such as final configurations of CCGs and decisions on ‘the balance of funding for nationally and locally commissioned services ‘, which the NHS Commissioning Board will determine.
CCGs whose proposed configurations have so-far been rated as amber or green have been included, but those who have been red-rated have not been unless SHAs have advised they imminently expect them to become amber or green.
NHS Confederation deputy chief executive David Stout said: ‘These spending estimates will provide emerging CCGs and local authorities with the information they need to support initial planning for the commissioning responsibilities they will take on in the future.'
‘However, the figures need to be treated with some caution. Much of the information used to draw up these projections has never been collected in this way before so there will a number of issues that need to be ironed out. These budgets may look quite different when they are finalised, especially as responsibilities for certain services such as infection control and emergency planning are still being finalised.'
Mr Stout added: ‘When clinical commissioning groups and local authorities do get their initial allocations, it will be essential that allocations are calculated, reviewed, and ultimately awarded to organisations in a fair and transparent way, and do not throw local health economies into unexpected financial difficulty impacting on patient services due to changes in funding formulae and levels.'
Download the PCT 2010 11 spend by future commissioning route document here.
