World class commissioning in the NHS is achievable, say officials

Government officials have denied claims that the move by the NHS to world class commissioning is “ludicrous,” calling it instead an aspiration for the service.

MPs on the parliamentary health select committee quizzed Department of Health officials on 22 October as part of their first evidence session of an inquiry into commissioning. They asked whether the claim that England was now moving to world class commissioning was not a “ludicrous” one.

Gary Belfield, acting director general for commissioning and system management at the Department of Health, said, “We are one of the largest organisations in the world and we’ve got 60 million people in England …