TY - JOUR T1 - Commissioning: important for all GPs JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 376 LP - 377 DO - 10.3399/bjgp19X704717 VL - 69 IS - 685 AU - Satpal Singh Shekhawat AU - Faisel Baig Y1 - 2019/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/69/685/376.abstract N2 - Ever since Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were formed in 2013, they have often been perceived by grassroots GPs as the ‘dark side’. It is human nature to perceive statutory bodies as obstacles in our daily working lives and that can set an anti-institution philosophy in our mindsets. Over the years, CCGs have received a lot of criticism from both providers and regulators. CCGs have a finite budget set by NHS England and they have to purchase health care from a variety of providers while staying within their financial constraints. This process leads to many decisions which imply rationing, and often, these are then conveyed to the end user — the patient — by frontline staff working in provider organisations. As frontline staff can be conveying difficult messages to the patient, without having a sense of control over the implicit or explicit rationing process, this can lead to stakeholders dissociating from the commissioning process and often creates a ‘them versus us’ impression.Some GPs have engaged with commissioning and provided leadership within their CCGs and wider health economies. It is our hope that after reading this article, readers will realise that if more GPs were to engage with commissioning, then we can be the voice of our colleagues and patients, and influence the delivery of better outcomes within the finite NHS budget.Commissioning is the continual process of planning, agreeing, and monitoring services. Commissioning is not one action but is comprised of a range of activities, including: assessing the health needs of the local population;planning health services to meet the identified needs; … ER -