A drop in session for people to give their views on a proposal to form one NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, to replace the four current CCGs, is being held in Ross-on-Wye.

The session will take place on June 21st, at the Dennis Potter Room, Ross-on-Wye Library from 1pm to 3pm.

The CCGs are seeking people’s views on the proposal which will help them save £2 million. All NHS organisations are required by NHS England and NHS Improvement to reduce their running costs by 20% by March 31st, 2020, and by creating one single CCG, instead of the current four, the CCGs estimate that they can save the required £2 million without affecting any health or care services provided by NHS organisations or local councils across the area. The aim is to reduce the duplication of roles and governance that sit behind the scenes within the four organisations.

Once people’s views have been received they will be summarised and considered ahead of any decision to form a single CCG later this year.

Members of the public can have their say by completing the survey available on the CCG website at www.herefordshireccg.nhs.uk.

There are also public drop-in sessions being held across the two counties where people can also complete the survey or discuss the proposals in more detail with members of staff from the CCG.

The drop-in sessions details are as follows:

• 5 June 2019 - Committee Room 2, Hereford Town Hall – 3p to 5pm

• 12 June 2019 – Meeting Room 2, The Hive, Worcester – 5pm to 7pm

• 13 June 2019 – Committee Room 2, Redditch Town Hall – 11am to 1pm

• 14 June 2019 – Stourport and Bewdley Rooms, Wyre Forest District Council – 2pm to 4pm

• 20 June 2019 – Conference Room, Leominster Library – 11am to 1pm

• 21 June 2019 – Dennis Potter Room, Ross-on-Wye Library – 1pm to 3pm

Simon Trickett, Accountable Officer for the Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCGs said: “Our main priority is, and always will be, our patients and the health and wellbeing of our local population. Having already set up combined governance and decision-making arrangements across the four CCGs, this is the next logical step.”

He added: “I would like to emphasise that this won’t have any impact on NHS services being provided across Herefordshire and Worcestershire; this is about reducing some of the bureaucracy and duplication that running four CCGs brings.”