CCGs must commission for England’s whole population, not just for “those with sharp elbows,” conference hears

Patients are being photographed in hospitals by their families because of “unprecedented” levels of anxiety about their care, a conference has heard.

Edna Robinson, managing director of NHS Clinical Commissioning Community, said this “spectacular loss of confidence” in the wake of the Francis inquiry would pose a huge challenge to new commissioning bodies.

She said that England’s primary care trusts (PCTs), which are being disbanded from 1 April, had plainly failed to connect with the public and assure the quality of care despite doing good work in other areas. The new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) now being set up would have to have the confidence to “walk the …