Trauma is one of six National Programmes of Care (NPoCs) overseeing the commissioning of specialised and highly specialised services.

The role of the NPoC is to provide leadership and oversight of the development and delivery of a comprehensive work programme that achieves demonstrable improvements in the quality, equity, value and outcomes of commissioned specialised services.

The Trauma NPoC covers specialised services in traumatic injury, orthopaedics, head and neck and rehabilitation. It consists of an NPoC Board and nine clinical reference groups (CRGs) as follows:

• Rehabilitation and complex disability and spinal cord injury
• Major trauma and burns
• Neurosurgery and spinal surgery
• Neurology
• Adult critical care
• Specialised ear surgery
• Specialised ophthalmology
• Specialised orthopaedics
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

CRGs provide clinical advice and leadership on the specialised services in the Trauma NPoC. These groups of clinicians, commissioners, public health experts, patients and carers use their specific knowledge and expertise to advise NHS England on the best ways that specialised services should be provided.

CRGs lead on the development of clinical commissioning policies, service specifications and quality standards. They also provide advice on innovation, horizon scanning, service reviews and guide work to reduce variation and deliver increased value. CRGs, through their Patient and Public Voice (PPV) members, also help ensure that any changes to the commissioning of specialised services involve patients and the public.

Chair and membership of the Trauma NPoC

• Chair: Robert Bentley, National Clinical Director – Major Trauma
• Nicola Symes, National Programme of Care Senior Manager
• Carolyn Brennan, National Programme of Care Manager
• Carolyn Young, National Programme of Care Manager
• Judith Shorrock, Commissioning Manager, Highly Specialised Commissioning
• Alexander Bastin, Patient and Public Voice Representative
• Kevan Baker, Patient and Public Voice Representative
• Vacancy, Patient and Public Voice Representative – If you are interested in applying for this vacancy please email voice-crg@nhs.net for more information.
• Robert Wilson, Public Health Lead
• Bryan Foreshew, Pharmacy Advisor
• Nasrin Akter, Business Support Officer

Products

The ‘products’ of commissioning are the tools used by the Regional Commissioning Teams to contract services on an annual basis and are listed under each CRG.

Service specifications

Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. The specifications have been developed by specialised clinicians, commissioners, expert patients and public health representatives to describe both core and developmental service standards. Core standards are those that all funded providers should be able to demonstrate, with developmental standards being those which may require further changes in practice over time to provide excellence in the field.

Policies

A commissioning policy is a document that defines access to a service for a particular group of patients. A NICE Technology Appraisal Guideline on the same topic will replace, or be incorporated into, a commissioning policy as appropriate. These are important documents that are developed to ensure consistency in access to treatments nationwide.

Get involved

If you are interested in the work of the CRG or its NPOC, you can register as a stakeholder.

For details on our latest consultations please visit the NHS England consultation hub.

Get in contact

For any questions or queries relating to the work of the CRG or its NPOC, please contact: england.npoc-trauma@nhs.net