Rehabilitation and complex disability and spinal cord injury
Scope
The Lead and Inform Clinical reference Group (CRG) covers complex rehabilitation, complex disability and spinal cord injury services. Complex disability includes specialised prosthetics services, environmental controls (EC) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies.
Membership
- Chair Krystyna Walton, National Specialty Advisor (NSA) Rehabilitation, Disability and Spinal Cord Injury:
- Alan Mistlin, clinical member
- Mike Dilley, clinical member
- Benita Hexter, clinical member
- Rory O’Connor, clinical member
- Glynis Peak, clinical member
- Emer McGilloway, clinical member
- Jane Duff, clinical member
- Helen Harvey, clinical member
- Zoe Clarke, clinical member
- Julia Atkinson, clinical member
- Carolyn Young, lead commissioner
- Catherine Croucher, public health lead
- Daniel Burden, patient and public voice representative
- Jo Wright, patient and public voice representative
- David Rose, patient and public voice representative
- Andrew Bennett, National Clinical Director MSK Conditions NHS England – GIRFT, affiliate member
Non-core members of the group may be drawn upon for specialist advice and expertise required to deliver the key objectives of the CRG work programme.
Guide to commissioning augmentative and alternative communication services
NHS England has produced a guide to explain how augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services for those with difficulty with speech are organised and commissioned, with signposts for how to access the support the services provide.
Products
A key part of the CRG’s work is the delivery of the ‘products’ of commissioning. These are the tools used by the Regional Commissioning Teams to contract services on an annual basis.
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.
The following service specifications fall within the scope of this CRG:
- Complex disability equipment: Communication aids (specialised augmentative and alternative and communication (AAC) services)
- Complex disability equipment: Environmental controls (all ages)
- Complex disability equipment: Prosthetics (all ages)
- Hand and upper limb transplant service (adults)
- Specialist rehabilitation for patients with highly complex needs (all ages)
- Spinal cord injuries (all ages)
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.
The following policies fall within the scope of this CRG:
Commissioned
- Hand and upper limb reconstruction using vascularised composite allotransplantation (HAUL-VCA)
- Microprocessor controlled prosthetic limbs
- Multi-grip prosthetic hand (all ages)
Not routinely commissioned
- Direct skeletal fixation for transfemoral limb loss (adults)
- High definition silicone covers for prosthetic limbs, high definition feet and partial hand prosthesis
Get involved
If you are interested in the work of the CRG or its NPOC, you can register as 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