WHILE Dr Stephen Richards’ acknowledgement that he could not fulfill the intended role of chief executive of the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group has to be recognised, questions remain as to how the management structure has been found wanting after just six months.

The OCCG, as it is known, replaced the Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust as the body in ultimate charge of organising our health services locally.

It was a massive change implemented by the Government to sweep away the old PCTs and hand decision-making over to the GPs and other clinicians, with the theory it would improve services.

But the announcement yesterday, only after questions from this newspaper, that Dr Richards was standing down as chief executive to take up a new role of clinical chairman, with a new chief officer being brought in to run the management and financial side, raises deeply worrying questions.

The Oxfordshire CCG has a budget of £650m and looks after 685,000 people. It is not some corner shop just opening up.

It only started business in April after a significant preparation time yet now in October comes this effective admission that it was set up incorrectly.

Questions should be asked of those involved in its creation, and the Government, as to how such a fundamental change to our county’s health services was set up in such a flawed way.

It should have been done right first time. The huge cost to the taxpayer and the OCCG’s role in caring for the public demanded that.

And now we also have the unsettling prospect that the new chief officer is unlikely to be fulfilling this crucial role until April. It’s just not good enough.