Doctors should be more involved in the development of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), BMA chairman Dr Laurence Buckman has said.

Speaking at the Local Medical Committees Conference, Dr Buckman warns that the development of CCGs is continuing without the involvement of many ordinary GPs.

Dr Buckman insists that doctors should stand up to “regulation, bullying micromanagement and dissipated effort” as CCGs head towards authorisation.

CCGs are due to take over the responsibility for commissioning care from PCT clusters by April 2013.

They will need by authorised by the NHS Commissioning Board Authority before they become statutory bodies.

However, many GPs feel the Government has not kept its promises and are no longer in control of how CCGs are being developed.

“CCGs are ‘membership organisations’ as we keep on being told, they are our creatures not just another version of the PCTs they replace,” Dr Buckman said.

“GPs should be telling them what to do, not the other way round.  We were told it was going to be different… the Government needs to make it so.”

The BMA raised serious concerns during the passage of the Health and Social Care Act. The Association insists it continues to have “grave concerns” about the reforms, but will “ensure that implementation is evidence-based and sensible”.

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