COUNTY health bosses are seeking residents’ views on merging the NHS clinical commissioning groups of Herefordshire with Worcestershire.

They say the proposal does not affect any health or care services provided by NHS organisations or local councils across the area, but aims to reduce the duplication of roles and governance that sit behind the scenes within the four organisations.

Simon Trickett, accountable officer for the 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.

“We will not lose sight of the different needs of our local communities and we will continue to work with local organisations so that people’s needs, views and experiences remain at the heart of our decision making.

“All NHS organisations are required by NHS England and NHS Improvement to reduce their running costs by 20% by 31 March 2020, which means finding a saving of nearly £2 million across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

"By creating one single CCG, instead of the current four, we estimate that we can save the required £2 million.

“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.”

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 The CCGs are seeking people’s views on the proposal throughout June as part of a public consultation.

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.