From 1 April 2013 NHS England is responsible for authorising prescribing contractors to use the Electronic Prescription Service. This responsibility is included in paragraph 39A of Schedule 6 of the GMS Contract Regulations. NHS England hereby authorise the following sites to use the Electronic Prescription Service. All prescribing sites that are already using EPS Release […]

NHS England has published a number of interim generic policies, ensuring fair and consistent decision-making across its direct commissioning function. The 14 policies cover all aspects of NHS England’s direct commissioning responsibilities including specialised services, primary care, screening, military and offender health. The policies, agreed by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG), set out NHS […]

NHS England is today publishing an agreed set of clinical access policies for specialised commissioning. For the first time ever, specialised services will be commissioned using a nationally consistent approach, meaning that patients will have equal access to high quality services, regardless of where they live. The policies, along with a number of specialised services […]

NHS England is today (Thursday) taking action to end regional variation of access to the Cancer Drugs Fund. There will be one national list of approved fast-track drugs giving uniform access to treatment across the country. From 1 April, NHS England took on responsibility for the operational management of the Cancer Drugs Fund, creating for […]

NHS England hailed the introduction of the friends-and-family test in hospitals as a major step forward in its drive to give patients a greater voice. From 1 April 2013, every patient in England who visits an A&E, and all patients who stay in hospital overnight will be asked whether they would recommend the service they […]

Care Homes – Never Events For the attention of commissioners of Care Homes: Action is required to ensure that new and varied commissioning contracts include the Never Events applicable to Care Homes. Commissioners should read the alert (document is available via our archived website) and take the appropriate action in respect of their Care Homes […]

Half of all the new GP-led groups will begin commissioning healthcare on behalf of their local communities on April 1 with a clean bill of health and no requirement of on-going national support. Every community in England is now covered by one of 211 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), which will be led by GPs and […]

The NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) has opened the application process for patient and carer members of its 74 Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs) for 2013/14. CRGs are responsible for providing the NHS CB with clinical advice regarding specialised services, and for promoting equity of access to high quality services for all patients, regardless of where […]

NHS England – formerly the NHS Commissioning Board – pledged to use all its powers to ensure that everything the NHS does is driven by the best interests of patients. As the Government published its initial response to the Mid Staffordshire Public Inquiry, NHS England said it aims to help build an NHS that is […]

The Department of Health has published an updated NHS Constitution following a consultation that sought views on a number of proposed changes. Important areas we have improved in the NHS Constitution include: patient involvement feedback duty of candour end of life care integrated care complaints patient information staff rights, responsibilities and commitments dignity, respect and compassion In […]