Central Eastern CSU to shut its doors

The Central Eastern Commissioning Support Unit has decided to close down in October 2014, despite being financially viable for the next two years.

Earlier this year the CSU undertook a review of its customers’ commissioning intentions, which found that most of the clinical commissioning groups it serves intend to take at least some services in-house from October.

Following that review, Central Eastern has chosen to not submit its application for a place on the Lead Provider Framework as a stand-alone CSU.  

The framework, created by NHS England, will allow CCGs to purchase commissioning support services on a 'call-off' basis. This could lessen the need for the large number of CSUs as organisations look to work together.

David Stout, managing director at the CSU said that talks are in place with Central Southern CSU and North and East London CSU to take over service provision for local CCGs, even though the organisation’s finances could see them through the next two years.

“While we will remain financially viable, the reduction in our overall income up to 2016 will weaken the LPF assessment of our medium to long term financial prospects, he said.

“We will also be left without critical mass for some key services which will make our service improvement plans difficult to deliver.

“We will continue to operate in our current form until end September 2014 but have sought to establish alternative means of supplying services to our customers from October 2014 onwards.”

Originally, the Department of Health estimated that between 25 and 35 CSUs could be set up to provide services to CCGs from 1 April 2013.

 However, since then, several CSU’s have merged, closed down or “transitioned” its services. Central Eastern’s decision to close down brings the total number down to 15.

Central Eastern has set up a “transition oversight committee” to transfer its services to the two CSUs.

“We think this is the best way forward to ensure that CCGs and other customers will continue to be able to access high quality commissioning support services in the medium to long term,” said Stout.

North and East London CSU, which recently also took over five CCGs from Anglia NHS, is now in talks with Central Eastern on what services it could provide to the CCGs.

John Wilderspin, managing director of Central Southern CSU, which plans to offer its services to CCGs and other customers in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Luton, said he is looking forward to exploring “the prospect of new opportunities which best suit the CCGs and the patients they serve.”

In 2012, Central Eastern was formed by bringing together two separate predecessor bodies: Hertfordshire Integrated CSU and Essex CSU.