THE powerful group of GPs set to take over spending responsibility for NHS cash in York has been given official approval by health service bosses.

Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which officially comes into existence on April 1, is one of 62 shadow organisations to receive the outcome of their applications for authorisation from the NHS Commissioning Board today.

Dr Mark Hayes, chief clinical officer for NHS Vale of York CCG, said: “We welcome the Commissioning Board’s decision to authorise NHS Vale of York CCG.”

However, with the CCG set to inherit a share of a historic £12 million health deficit in North Yorkshire, he said: “We fully expected to receive a handful of conditions and feel these are reasonable in light of our current stage of development and given the history of the area, particularly in relation to finance. We have nine conditions in total, and we will continue working to see that each of these are removed as soon as possible.”