A new commercially-focused organisation that will help GPs operate the new-style National Health Service locally is recruiting staff for its expanding Bradford hub.

NHS West and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Commissioning Support Unit, which is providing a range of support to clinical commissioning groups under the Government’s radical health service reforms which took effect this month, has vacancies at its office in Douglas Mill on Bowling Back Lane, where it currently has 227 staff.

The unit, which has a total of 600 staff and an office in Sheffield, is providing services and expertise to 87 doctors practises in Bradford and Airedale. In total it supports 500 practises covering 3.8 million patients.

Its operations include providing HR, IT, marketing and communications, along with expertise such as financial planning, project management and medicines management to GPs. It has signed an initial 12-month contract.

It also has staff embedded in some practises to deliver on-the-spot support.

The new organisation is also working with nine hospital trusts, four mental health trusts, one of the UK’s largest ambulance trusts and three organisations delivering community healthcare services. NHS England, based in Leeds, is also a client.

Mike Savage has joined as chief finance officer operating from Bradford and Sheffield.

A chartered accountant, Bradford-born Mike is a former non-executive director of Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. He has joined the unit from McCann Worldgroup, which provided marketing services to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games.

He also worked for JP Morgan Chase in London and New York as well as accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mike said: “This opportunity to help shape the future strategy and direction of the NHS CSU in West and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, along with providing strong commissioning support to commissioning groups and other NHS providers, was very appealing and I am thrilled to be part of the team.”

Alison Hughes, the unit’s managing director, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for us and for our clients. We’re navigating our way through the most radical reforms since the NHS began in 1948. Now clinicians are at the centre of commissioning and working together we can make the best use of our financial resources to improve outcomes.”