Who we are

The GP practices in the CCG are listed on the home page.

  • The Chair of Newcastle West Clinical Commissioning Group is Dr Guy Pilkington
  • Our GP Vice Chairs are Dr Michelle Patton and Dr Rachel Cooper
  • Our Nurse Representative is Sarah White
  • Our Lead Practice Manager is Martin Bell
  • The Chief Operating Officer is David Thorne

Governance Arrangements

Newcastle West Clinical Commissioning Group has developed a governance structure which, it believes, reflects the fact that improvements to healthcare will only be achieved if clinicians, partner agencies and the wider community are fully engaged in decision making. It has appointed two Boards.

  • a Practice Board, comprising two members of each of the Consortium's 17 Practices. This meets quarterly and steers the CCGs clinical work. Therefore, if there are any issues around how services are delivered or how we look after, for example, patients with a long term condition such as diabetes or heart failure, the Board will discuss the way forward with knowledge of how things work within practices and where the problems lie. Practice engagement in the CCG is supported by Monthly Nurse Forum and Practice Managers meetings and quarterly Time Out educational sessions.
  • The Practice Board appointed the CCG Board that has a broader membership representative of partner statutory agencies and our community and is the decision making body for the Consortium. This board sets the strategic direction and provides independent challenge to the CCG. We see this CCG Board as the embodiment of the wider constituency that we serve. It provides a forum for testing, debate and final approval of key plans and policies.

Practice Board

The elected chair of the Practice Board is Dr Rachel Cooper

The Practice Board members and their respective practices are displayed below

Practice Practice Board Representatives
Betts Avenue Health Centre Dr Neil Kerry, Julie Wade
Broadway Medical Centre Dr Chaudhary, Dr Dalal
Cruddas Park Surgery Dr Guy Pilkington, Susan Wilson
Denton Turret Medical Centre Dr Michelle Patton, Martin Bell
Dilston Medical Centre Dr Gopal Munisamy, Maureen Hawkins
Fenham Hall Surgery Dr Brian Cogan, Helen Gunn
Grainger Medical Group Dr Rob Cowley, Linda Taylor
Holmside Medical Group Dr Rachel Cooper, Michael Foster
Newburn Surgery Dr Mike Scott, Malcolm Smith
Parkway Medical Centre Dr Nichola Weaver, Donna Aydon
Ponteland Road Health Centre Dr Hema Rawatt, Anthony Hockey
Prospect Medical Group Dr Joe Kelliher, Amanda Bargewell
Roseworth Surgery Dr Steve Turley, Christine Ramsey
Scotswood Practice Dr Gertrud Beustedde, Ed Hinde
Throckley Primary Care Centre Dr Brigid Joughin, Marie Bottomley
West Road Dr Barbara Palmer, Charlotte Marshall
Westerhope Medical Group Dr Alison Smith, Paul Waters

Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Board

The CCG Board has an elected Independent Chair, Professor Chris Drinkwater, and its primary function is to scrutinise and challenge the CCG's work. The Board meets quarterly and its first formal meeting took place in May 2011

Its role is to:

  • Ensure that the CCG meets its statutory requirements and duties.
  • Approve and oversee the delivery of the CCG Commissioning Plan and Annual Report.
  • Approve the CCG Financial Plan.
  • Approve and oversee the delivery of QIPP.
  • Deliver and approve the Newcastle Future Needs Assessment, jointly with Newcastle City Council.
  • Approve the Newcastle Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
  • Agree and monitor the CCG public and patient engagement strategy.
Our Board Members
Independent Chair Professor Chris Drinkwater
Newcastle Director of Public Health Dr Meng Khaw
Newcastle City Council Councillor Ann Schofield
Newcastle Primary Care Trust Julia Young, Associate Director
Voluntary and Community Sector Representatives
  • Bev Bookless, Vice Chair and Trustee of Community Action on Health
  • Shamshad Iqbal, Chair - Health and Racial Equality Forum
  • Mandy Taylor, Head of Service - Children North East
Practice Representatives
GP chair Dr Guy Pilkington
GP Vice Chair: Governance Dr Rachel Cooper
GP Vice Chair Dr Michelle Patton
Lead Practice Manager Martin Bell
Nurse Representative Sarah White
Consortium Chief Executive David Thorne

The non-Practice members are in a small majority when it comes to votes, although we aim to work on the basis of consensus.

CCG Executive

The CCG Executive manages its operation and transition planning. This is made up of a leadership team of five practice members and two CCG Officers, all of whom comprise the practice representatives on the CCG Board.

The main responsibilities of the Executive are to manage the CCG transition, business planning, management of performance against its financial and performance targets, risk management, development and oversight of QIPP delivery and patient involvement. It has a Contracting sub-group which has clear terms of reference, broad practice representation and, a lead GP for contracting. The Executive is supported in delivery of this plan and QIPP by a series of clinical leads.

Freedom of Information

Until Newcastle West becomes a statutory body in 2013, compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is administrated by NHS North of Tyne.