FOUR clinical commissioning groups in Hampshire are now working more closely together in a formal partnership.

Clinical commissioning groups were created following the Health and Social Care Act in 2012, and replaced primary care trusts in April 2013. They are clinically-led statutory NHS bodies responsible for the planning and commissioning of healthcare services for their area.

There are now 207 such groups in England and the trend is for them to work more closely together.

This new partnership – which involves Fareham and Gosport, North East Hampshire and Farnham, North Hampshire (which includes surgeries in Alton, Four Marks, Bentley, Hook, Odiham, Newbury and Basingstoke) and South Eastern Hampshire – held its first partnership board meeting last Thursday.

“Working together is allowing us to share expertise, to be more effective and to reduce duplication,” explained Dr Chilvers, chairman of Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group, on behalf of the four clinical chairmen.

“As a result, we are able to speed up the improvement of services for all of our patients.”

The four clinical commissioning groups now share a single chief executive, Maggie MacIsaac, who joined the NHS as a graduate nurse and has worked in many sectors of the NHS at senior level, locally and regionally. Most recently she was the chief officer of North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group, a role she has undertaken since July 2012.

Ms MacIsaac is passionate about working with partners to positively transform health and social care for patients and the wider community.

Together, the four clinical commissioning groups commission health services for 850,000 people with a budget of £1.1bn.

The four groups are working closely with Hampshire County Council, and are part of two sustainability and transformation partnerships, namely Hampshire and Isle of Wight and Frimley Health and Care System.

Ms MacIsaac said: “Working together as a partnership is already helping us to make a difference to the delivery of care for our local communities, and simplifying how we work with Hampshire County Council.”