Specialised Healthcare Alliance

What is Specialised Commissioning?

The NHS operates on the basis of services being commissioned by one party from another depending on factors such as facilities, expertise and anticipated patient numbers. Currently the majority of services are commissioned by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). This will change under the government’s proposed reforms with PCTs being abolished and replaced by GP commissioning consortia responsible for planning and procuring the majority of services.

The bulk of money is spent on conditions affecting large numbers of people, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. A significant amount, however, needs to be allocated to rare diseases and other more unusual conditions. This is known as specialised commissioning.

Commissioning arrangements for specialised services were reformed and strengthened following an independent Review led by Sir David Carter. The Review of Commissioning Arrangements for Specialised Services (more) (May 2006) has informed the DH guidance, Health Reform in England: Update and Commissioning Framework (more), published on 13 July 2006.

To ensure the provision of safe, high quality specialised services at identified specialist centres, 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups (coterminous with the 10 Strategic Health Authority (SHA) boundaries) are responsible for commissioning specialised services. SCGs should have pooled budgets for the services they commission and are responsible for determining the commissioning arrangements for all the services in the National Definitions Set. The National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG) exists to co-ordinate specialised services commissioning and make national decisions across SCGs. All SCGs are required to be a member.

The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) has been formed to advise health ministers on which services, products and health technologies should be commissioned nationally. This role was previously performed by the National Commissioning Group (NCG).

Specialised services are planned and procured differently in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, though the nature of such services means that there is a significant degree of co-dependence between the four home nations.

SPECIALISED COMMISSIONING GROUPS (SCGs)
Click on the Group's name to visit the website (where available)

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What is Specialised Commissioning? The NHS operates on the basis of services being commissioned by one party from another depending on factors such as facilities, expertise and anticipated patient numbers. Currently the majority of services are commissioned by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). This will change under the government’s proposed reforms with PCTs being abolished and replaced by GP commissioning consortia responsible for planning and procuring the majority of services. The bulk of money is spent on conditions affecting large numbers of people, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. A significant amount, however, needs to be allocated to rare diseases and other more unusual conditions. This is known as specialised commissioning. Commissioning arrangements for specialised services were reformed and strengthened following an independent Review led by Sir David Carter. The Review of Commissioning Arrangements for Specialised Services (more) (May 2006) has informed the DH guidance, Health Reform in England: Update and Commissioning Framework (more), published on 13 July 2006. To ensure the provision of safe, high quality specialised services at identified specialist centres, 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups (coterminous with the 10 Strategic Health Authority (SHA) boundaries) are responsible for commissioning specialised services. SCGs should have pooled budgets for the services they commission and are responsible for determining the commissioning arrangements for all the services in the National Definitions Set. The National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG) exists to co-ordinate specialised services commissioning and make national decisions across SCGs. All SCGs are required to be a member. The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS) has been formed to advise health ministers on which services, products and health technologies should be commissioned nationally. This role was previously performed by the National Commissioning Group (NCG). Specialised services are planned and procured differently in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, though the nature of such services means that there is a significant degree of co-dependence between the four home nations. SPECIALISED COMMISSIONING GROUPS (SCGs) Click on the Group's name to visit the website (where available) North West Specialised Commissioning Group South Central Specialised Commissioning Group South East Coast Specialised Commissioning Group West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group East of England Specialised Commissioning Group Yorks and Humber Specialised Commissioning Group London Specialised Commissioning Group North East Specialised Commissioning Group South West Specialised Commissioning Group East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group National Specialised Commissioning Group (NSCG) National Commissioning Group (NCG)



For further information about commissioning for rare diseases and complex conditions contact: enq@scha.info

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