NHS England publishes commissioning policies

NHS England has published a number of interim generic policies, ensuring fair and consistent decision-making across its direct commissioning function.

The 14 policies cover all aspects of NHS England’s direct commissioning responsibilities including specialised services, primary care, screening, military and offender health.

For further information visit www.england.nhs.uk/2013/04/04/gen-com-pol.

NHS England has also published an agreed set of clinical access policies for specialised commissioning.

For the first time, specialised services will be commissioned using a nationally consistent approach, meaning that patients will have equal access to high quality services, regardless of where they live.

The policies, along with a number of specialised services specifications, were the subject of a short public consultation between December 2012 and February 2013, which received over 3,500 responses from patients, carers, the general public and wider stakeholders, which have been used to inform the final versions of the policies.

For further information visit www.england.nhs.uk/2013/04/04/clinical-access-policies.