Getting specialised services commissioning right at local level through real partnerships
23 May 2016
- The specialised services commission has published its final report
- Specialised services serve people with rare and complex conditions, and accounts for approximately £15 billion of NHS spending in England
- The commission made nine key recommendations
Lord Warner convened the specialised services commission in December 2015 to help inform the future development of specialised services, drawing on relevant expertise from across the healthcare sector.
Its final report makes a series of recommendations, including greater freedom for commissioners to work with networks of providers to deliver end to end services for patients' entire care, and new models of remuneration that reflect payment by outcomes for the patient rather than hospital-based activity.
Each year frontline providers of specialised services are facing increasing demands for their services and increasing costs of introducing new NICE-approved medicines and devices. Without a new approach to commissioning and paying for these services, the financial and operational pressures on NHS providers will simply not be sustainable.
Responding to the report, Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers and commission member, said:
“Each year frontline providers of specialised services are facing increasing demands for their services and increasing costs of introducing new NICE-approved medicines and devices. Without a new approach to commissioning and paying for these services, the financial and operational pressures on NHS providers will simply not be sustainable. “That is why this report from the specialised services commission is particularly timely and helpful, following the recent National Audit Office report that highlighted the lack of a national strategy for specialised commissioning. We strongly welcome this new report’s recommendations on working towards a deeper understanding on the costs of delivery services, tackling the broken payment model for specialised services that has seen financial risk passed from commissioners to providers, and developing a national strategy that takes better account of which services should be designed and commissioned nationally, regionally in networks, and locally in communities.
“Provider engagement will be crucial in making new approaches to designing and delivering services more effective. It is only through genuine partnership working between NHS England, local commissioners and providers that we can reduce variation, increase efficiency and most importantly improve the health outcomes for patients living with the most complex and rare conditions.”
Read the full press statement.