Lee Stribling

Why do you need to know this?

You’ve probably realised by now that issues around types of care, funding, assessment and all things dementia related are not straightforward.  At some point the person you care for will have contact with Health professionals such as their GP. I thought it would be useful to explain the current structure (November 2012) so you could see how things are linked.  I’ll also talk about CCGs (the Clinical Commissioning Groups) as these are groups of doctors who decide how the budget is spent as well as signposting you to resources about how things will look from April 2013.

If there is a lack of provision for services for people with dementia in your area, you may wish to contact the CCG to highlight this gap so that they can make decisions as to whether this is a local need.  CCGs are comprised of other people too, including those who use services and you may wish to be involved in this.

The Structure

The BBC shows how things were organised before, and how the structure will look from April 2013 www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19674838

Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) – what are they?

From April 2013 groups of GPs will be responsible for designing local health services in England and for commissioning and buying a range of services including most community health services, emergency care, elective hospital care and services around mental health and learning disability.

CCGs – where are they?

There’s a map here (available in different formats) www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/resources/ccg-maps/

Because arrangements are still being made, you may need to search for contact details for the nearest CCG, and by looking at the page underneath the main map you’ll see a list of all CCGs. The majority of these now have an online presence so that you can find details of their work and who to contact. In the first instance I’d suggest you have a conversation with the GP who may have more up to date contact information.

http://www.dementiachallengers.com/page17.php