KPMG wins London commissioning role

NHS London has awarded a contract to professional services firm KPMG to help develop GP commissioning consortia pathfinders in the capital.

The contract covers providing support pathfinder GP commissioning groups, allowing family doctors to become commissioners of services, following the government's health white paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.

The strategic health authority has signed a deal with the KPMG Partnership for Commissioning, a consortium which includes the National Association of Primary Care, Healthskills, Primary Care Commissioning, UnitedHealth UK and Morgan Cole.

The contract is thought to be one of the first to support pathfinder GP commissioning groups, allowing family doctors to become commissioners of services, as set out in the government's health white paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS. There are eight pathfinder groups in London.

The Health and Social Care Bill is due this week. From April 2013 GP consortia will commission most healthcare services in England. PCTs and SHAs will be abolished over the same period.

Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chair of the British Medical Association's GP committee, said consortia should develop their own organisations and commissioning skills: "I think it is important that consortia have the necessary core skills to be able to deliver their statutory functions and don't become dependent on external organisations, potentially multi-national organisations.

"There is also a potential problem where conflict of interest starts to develop where those that are giving advice, in terms of commissioning advice, are also potential providers.