NHS England (London) will lead a review of ‘specialised services’ in south London to make sure they are fit for the future.

South London has some of the best specialised services in the country – and some among the best in the world. Specialised services cover more than 170 services, ranging from kidney dialysis and heart surgery through to neurosciences and HIV care. These are services which are used by relatively small numbers of patients, and which tend to be provided in specialist hospital trusts by teams of expert staff. In south London, NHS England spends £1.3 billion on specialised care and demand for these services is growing at a rapid rate, year on year.

The review, carried out in partnership with specialised services providers and CCGs,  will align with the development of Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs)  currently being carried out by local health economies to help us address the challenges that the NHS faces over the next five years. STPs will show how local services will deliver the ‘Five Year Forward View’ vision of better health, better patient care, and improved NHS efficiency, and ensure all health and social care systems are put on a sustainable footing.

The objectives of the review will be to make sure that specialised services in south London:

• deliver the best quality care – either maintaining standards where they are already high, or improving to meet national expectations where they fall below these
• offer people timely access to care – ensuring that waiting lists are not excessive and that demand is matched with supply to improve the patient experience and minimise the risk of harm
• are efficient and effective in the way they are provided – making sure that services are delivery the best possible value for money for the taxpayer, reducing the variation in cost per patient that we currently see across services, and in a way that the NHS can afford for years to come
• are sustainable – with the right mix of clinicians and support staff offering high quality care from the most appropriate locations.

Proposals for the scope and governance of this work are currently being drafted and will be published in due course. NHS England will shortly produce a case for change for discussion with the patients and the public, clinicians and our wider stakeholder community. Should the review lead to proposals for significant change, there would, in the normal way, be a formal public consultation before any changes are made.