Two new clinical commissioning groups came into being on April 1 following the merger of existing CCGs.

NHS Derby and Derbyshire CCG brings together the old Erewash, Hardwick, North Derbyshire and South Derbyshire CCGs and includes 116 GP practices serving 1,055,000 patients.

NHS Devon CCG will be formed by the merger of the two old Devon CCGs – North, Eastern & Western Devon, and South Devon & Torbay. It will cover 131 GP practices.

NHS England says that in both cases, the mergers will enable streamlined commissioning, strengthen financial resilience and support system working. The mergers reduce the number of CCGs in England to 191.