NHS Specialised Services is the national organisation responsible for the commissioning of specialised services that help improve the lives of children and adults who have very rare conditions.
Commissioning in the NHS is the process of ensuring that health services meet the needs of the population. It is complex and includes assessing the needs of the population, selecting health care service providers and ensuring that these services are safe, effective, patient-centred and of high quality.
NHS Regional Commissioning
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.
The National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG) facilitates working across the 10 SCGs at a regional and supra-regional level.
Commissioning at a national level
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 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.
New technologies
The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) will consider a small number of highly specialised new drugs and technologies. AGNSS’s role will be to make recommendations to Ministers about whether the drugs and technologies it considers are appropriate for commissioning at a national level.
