A £100m funding boost for the NHS to improve services at a local level in England could filter through to charities via new Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs).

As yet unapproved by Parliament, the CCG system will allow healthcare professionals working in the local community to take on responsibility for local health care budgets and commission the services working in that area. The Department of Health (DoH) announced on Monday that it would provide up to £100m for such groups to improve local services and "reduce pressure on the NHS over the winter months". The announcement is the first glimpse of direct funding for CCGs, representing £2 per head of population, and will be distributed through Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) this year. 

The funding can be used by the CCGs to "commission any service which supports patients in the community and in their home to help avoid unnecessary visits to hospital", the DoH advised. These could include services run by charities such as palliative support or mental health services, a spokesman for the Department said. Where the money is spent will be decided at local level, he added.

While the CCG system is yet to pass through Parliament, CCGs have already been delegated around £29bn from PCTs to spend on providing services for patients. It is intended that CCGs will be the statutory bodies accountable for commissioning health services from April 2013.