How we fit into the NHS
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE/I)
NHSE/I leads the National Health Service (NHS) in England. It is an independent body, at arm's length from the government.
Its main role is to improve health outcomes for people in England:
- Providing national leadership and driving up the quality of care
- Overseeing the operation of clinical commissioning groups
- Allocating resources to clinical commissioning groups
- Commissioning primary care and specialist services
- For more information, visit the NHS website.
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
CCGs commission most services, including:
- Planned hospital care
- Rehabilitative care
- Urgent and emergency care (including out-of-hours)
- Community health services
- Mental health and learning disability services
CCGs can commission any service provider that meets NHS standards and costs. Service providers can be NHS hospitals, social enterprises, charities, or private sector companies.
CCGs must like the quality of services they commission. They must follow guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). They must consider data from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about service providers.
NHSE/I and CCGs must involve patients, carers and the public in decisions about services.