NHS England has paused its plans to introduce an evaluation project for renal artery denervation, a treatment proposed for patients with hypertension which is resistant to other forms of treatment. This means that the treatment remains as not routinely commissioned by the NHS in England. James Palmer, Clinical Director, Specialised Services, said: “On 9 January it […]

NHS England has released an update to the national Cancer Drugs Fund list, further increasing access for patients to an additional three new cancer drugs. The additions to the list have been made following a review of trial data from the drugs by the Chemotherapy Clinical Reference Group (CRG), one of 74 such groups which […]

NHS England has today published the arrangements it will apply to ensure the most effective use of resources for Personal Medical Services (PMS). PMS is a locally-agreed alternative to General Medical Service (GMS) for providers of general practice. NHS England area teams will be reviewing PMS contracts over the next two years to ensure that […]

A new alerting system launched today by NHS England will ensure warnings of potential risks to the safety of patients can be developed much more quickly and be rapidly disseminated right across the NHS. The new National Patient Safety Alerting System (NPSAS) will ensure warnings of emerging risks can be rapidly issued following their identification […]

More than 80 professionally accredited seminar courses to choose from at Manchester event Innovation in supporting and empowering patients takes centre stage Courses specifically designed to assist in Clinical Commissioner  two and five year planning process Delegates to the forthcoming NHS Innovation Expo will benefit from a range of short practical seminars designed to inspire […]

The responsible officer regulations require each designated body to appoint one responsible officer (except for NHS England which may appoint several). However, where a conflict of interest or appearance of bias exists between the responsible officer and one of the doctors, an alternative responsible officer must be nominated or appointed for that doctor. In deciding […]

This weekly summary offers an overview of the system and pulls together information on waiting times in A&E, ambulance response times, daily situation reports from the NHS, and information on flu rates. Winter health check report 31 January 2014

The first results of the Friends and Family Test (FFT) for NHS-funded maternity services across England have today been published alongside the latest FFT results for A&E and Inpatient departments. The data comprises feedback from thousands of pregnant women and mothers of new-born babies who, since October 1, 2013, have been giving their views on […]

Specialised Services would like to announce the appointment of three new Clinical Reference Group (CRG)  Chairs, these are: Professor Derek Tuffnell for the Specialised Maternity Dr Mathias Radatz for Stereotactic Radiosurgery Dr Marios Adamou for Specialised Mental Health.

A vision showing how key organisations in the health and care system will join forces to address sustainability challenges, potentially saving millions of pounds, has been launched. Reducing carbon emissions, protecting natural resources, preparing communities for severe weather events and promoting healthy lifestyles and environments are key to the concept. NHS England, Public Health England […]