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Monitor launches consultation on proposed Commissioner Requested Services Guidance

Monitor has today launched the draft Commissioner Requested Services and Protected Services Guidance for consultation.

The guidance sets out a process for commissioners to follow to ensure that key NHS services remain available for patients if a provider gets into serious financial difficulty.

Commissioner Requested Services are services that will be considered by the commissioner for protection should a provider fail. The system will form part of Monitor’s Continuity of Service framework which aims to make sure patients continue to have access to the services they need in their local area.

As part of the Continuity of Service framework, commissioners will decide which services should be designated Commissioner Requested Services and the guidance helps them to do this. Providers of Commissioner Requested Services will be subject to additional licence conditions in the proposed NHS provider licence, which was released for consultation on 31 July.

The Consultation on the Commissioner Requested Services guidance: The consultation will start on 16th August 2012 and run for 12 weeks until 8th November. The Commissioner Requested Services guidance will act as a guide for clinical commissioning groups as they work to ensure the availability of good quality NHS services for patients if a provider has serious financial problems. Further information and the consultation document can be found on the Monitor website.

Monitor is launching a number of other consultations and documents over the next six months.