New feeds on an almost daily basis, contain yet further stories of how levels of GP involvement in CCGs has dropped, with less than 22% of CCGs now having a GP as an accountable officer. At times it appears that GPs are almost being villainised for their reluctance to embrace their new positions of influence and responsibility.
Some argue that the accountable officer role is an unattractive position within the new organisations and thus that this is inevitable especially when the number of GPs as the Chair of the CCG sits at a whopping 89% demonstrating their support for the newly forming clinical commissioning groups.
Yet these whole-scale reforms of the NHS commissioning arena come at a time when many other aspects of a doctors and in this context specifically GP's role is being reshaped with additional burdens placed upon them.
December will herald the introduction of medical revalidation: the process by which all doctors who are licensed with the GMC will regularly have to demonstrate that they are up to date and fit to practise. Understandably therefore GPs may be reluctant to take on additional roles and responsibilities within CCGs when the onus of examination every five years looms upon them. I know that I would rather my own GP focused upon the introduction of the system designed to help doctors meet the standards expected of them by ensuring they stay up-to-date with the latest techniques technologies and research; as well as to tackle any concerns expressed about their skills such as communication and maintaining patients rather than taking up an active role within the new commissioning bodies. It is perhaps predictable that so many people would also like to selfishly prioritise their own doctor's medical knowledge rather than their business or commissioning acumen.