News / Board: single system will be required for CCGs

Adoption of the NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) finance and accounting system will be a requirement for clinical commissioning group authorisation, the NHS Commissioning Board has confirmed.

Last month, the board awarded SBS a six-year contract to provide an integrated finance and accounting system for the NHS Commissioning Board and CCGs. Although use of the system will be required for authorisation, the Commissioning Board will meet the annual contract price in full and not pass it on to CCGs.

The annual value of the contract is £15.38m per annum at current prices, and is subject to an annual inflationary uplift. SBS will begin providing the service to the Commissioning Board from 1 October 2012 and CCGs from 1 April 2013. However, the training of commissioning support units and testing of the CCG system will begin this autumn.

‘Having a single, integrated system will ensure proper financial and corporate governance, financial consistency, effective risk management relating to the transfer of financial information and the adoption of best practice in business processes,’ said a board spokesperson.

‘The integrated system will create a basic common infrastructure, which will also be cost-effective and save time for organisations in terms of development.’