Commissioning

Commissioners can find a lot of useful information in the Society's publications on National activity and outcomes. Members refer to these publications as 'the blue book'.

Specialised services are defined in law as those services with a planning population of more than one million people. This means that a specialised service would not be provided by every hospital in England; generally, it would be provided by less than 50. These services are mainly planned for and commissioned across a wider population than one individual Primary Care Trust. Challenges for these services can include the training of specialist staff, supporting high quality research programmes and making best use of staff expertise and high tech equipment.

So far, there were two well established areas of special commissioning: Congenital heart surgery and transplantations. More recently, London commissioners suggested that mitral valve repair and complex aortic surgery should also be specially commissioned.

The Society has recently formed 4 working groups in order to help and advise commissioners in the complex commissioning process. We will soon publish the results of our survey on commissioning in England. The results of the survey will be published in this website (click here).

Commissioning update 2012

The 2011 Health & Social Care Bill will have a significant impact on the way specialised services are commissioned. Specialised services are to be a core responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board (NHSCB). To manage the transition to a single system within the NHSCB by April 2013, a comprehensive National Programme Plan has been developed. Delivery of this National Transition Programme Plan is the responsibility of the National Transition Project Team for Specialised Services. To achieve this, the National Specialised Services Transition Project Team has established a network of Specialised Services Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs).

Details of these 55 groups are given in the attached documents.

Specialized Services: Ensuring Equity, Delivering Excellence

Specialized Commissioning Transition

Neil Moat is Chair of the CRG for cardiac surgery. Thoracic surgery was initially included in two CRGs; specialised cancer and specialised medicine. This was felt to be inappropriate and we have reached agreement with James Palmer, National Transition Programme Lead for Quality & Innovation, that thoracic surgery should have its own CRG. An advert for the chair of the thoracic CRG is attached (click here), the closing date is 30th April 2012. please send applications to katy.anderton@nhs.net not me. Should you wish to discuss the role please contact Neil Moat , James Roxburgh or myself.

 

 

UK Cardiothoracic Centres

Filter by Specific Procedure: None Adult Cardiac Surgery Congenital Cardiac Surgery Thoracic Surgery

Filter by Location: None East England East Midlands London North East North West Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Scotland South Central South East South West Wales West Midlands Yorkshire & Humber

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