In England, there are 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups (SCGs) that commission specialised services for their regional populations, which range in size from 2.8 million people to 7.5 million people. Examples of such services include haemophilia and blood and marrow transplantation. The National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG) facilitates working across the 10 SCGs at a regional and pan-regional level.
About 60 highly specialised services are commissioned nationally by the National Specialised Commissioning Team. These are services that usually affect fewer than 500 people across England or involve services where fewer than 500 highly specialised procedures are undertaken each year. Examples of such services include heart transplantation (about 270 transplants each year) and secure forensic mental health services for young people (about 80 new patients each year).
The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) is a committee that advises health Ministers on which services should be nationally commissioned and the centres that should provide them.
The UK Genetic Testing Network (UKGTN) is an organisation set up by the Department of Health to advise NHS commissioners about developments in genetics and to improve equity of testing in the NHS. The network is a collaborative group of clinicians, NHS diagnostic laboratories, NHS commissioners and patient representative groups and is integral with specialised commissioning arrangements in support of clinical genetics. The UKGTN organisation is hosted by NHS Specialised Services and a small project team including expert advisors, together with four working groups carry out this role which is accountable to the UKGTN Steering Group. There are currently 51 member laboratories from regional genetics and specialist laboratories. Further information about the UKGTN including a searchable online database of genetic tests is available from the website.
Commissioning in the NHS is the process of ensuring that health services meet the needs of the population. Commissioning is a complex process that includes:
It is important that commissioning is undertaken at the most appropriate population level: for the most local services, GPs are best placed to decide which services will best meet the needs of their patients. The vast majority of services are commissioned by about 150 local Primary Care Trusts. There are different arrangements for commissioning specialised services: in England, the 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups commission specialised services for their regional populations, which range in size from 2.8 million people to 7.5 million people. Examples of such services include haemophilia and blood & marrow transplantation. About 60 highly specialised services are commissioned nationally by NHS Specialised Services. Generally speaking, these are services that affect fewer than 500 people across England or involve services where fewer than 500 highly specialised procedures are undertaken per annum.
The Court of Appeal has granted the Joint Committee of PCTs leave to appeal the response to the Judicial Review by the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. A full hearing will be held on...
The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts' urgent appeal in response to the Judicial Review by the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust will be heard by the Court of Appeal. The Court o...
The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts' urgent appeal in response to the Judicial Review by the Royal Brompton Hospital will be heard by the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal has granted the J...
Jeremy Glyde, Safe and Sustainable Programme Director, said: “In November 2011 the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) invited all 11 centres providing children’s congenital he...
Sir Neil McKay CB, Chair of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, said: “We have today lodged the application to appeal the recent ruling by the High Court in response to the claim for Ju...
