ALMOST half of the members in the new organisations that will commission North East NHS services have declared a conflict of interest, an investigation has revealed.
GP-led clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are an integral part of the new National Health Service structure and will take over local NHS budgets from the beginning of next month.
But a study by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has reported that half of the board members in the region who will buy patient services have a conflict of interest, due to issues such as shares held in private companies or directorships.
The 12 CCG groups in the region, which are to replace local Primary Care Trusts, will take care of the NHS budget for services in the North East. They will be responsible for planning and commissioning hospital, community health and mental health services on behalf of the local population.
Following Freedom of Information Requests and analysis of CCGs’ websites, the authors of the BMJ investigation found that in the North East, 86 of the 169 board members have declared a conflict of interest.
Union leaders have expressed concern at those numbers, but health bosses have insisted that safeguards are in place.
Glenn Turp, Royal College of Nursing Northern Region’s Director said: “This BMJ survey reveals the true extent to which potential conflicts of interest have been allowed to develop in our NHS, and it is extremely significant and far-reaching.
“I believe it is unacceptable and unreasonable for those who are purchasing services for patients to have connections with private healthcare companies who are providing those services.
“The list is extensive and makes it clear that the public’s local health services are now being purchased for them by people who have direct financial interests in private healthcare companies. It is important that the public realises the scale of this issue.”
Research by the BMJ has shown that a Newcastle North and East CCG board member's spouse has a financial interest in drug manufacturer AstraZeneca and a board member of Newcastle West CCG has a financial interest in drug manufacturer Oxford Biomedica.
North Tyneside CCG board members have financial interests in healthcare company Norprime Ltd and drug manufacturer Glaxo Smith-Kline.
One CCG board member in North Tyneside is also the chief executive of Connect Physical Therapy, the largest privately owned provider of Musculoskeletal services in the UK.
Northumberland CCG has a member on the board who also works for Northern Doctors Urgent Care, which is part of the Vocare Group. It operates a number of a healthcare-related commercial enterprises, which in turn have contracts with the NHS to deliver services, including NHS 111.
The NHS Commissioning Board has issued a code of conduct to CCGs – introduced in the Health and Social Care Act – stating that board members must remove themselves from decisions from which they could materially benefit.
Dr Relton Cummings, GP chair of Newcastle North and East CCG said he wanted to “strongly reassure” people that doctors and nurses involved in the CCGs are very much aware of their responsibilities regarding potential conflicts of interests.
He said: “We have good safeguards in place to ensure clear and transparent decision making in how we are spending public money on local NHS services.
“Understanding this has been a key part of our preparation in taking on our new statutory responsibilities.”
