Specialised services
are broadly defined as those with low patient numbers but which need a critical mass of patients to make treatment centres cost effective. They are services that are provided in relatively few specialist centres and tend to be found in larger hospitals based in big towns and cities to catchment populations of more than one million people.
The East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group (EMSCG)
was formed in 2007 in response to the Carter Review, a national review of NHS specialised services commissioning led by Lord David Carter.
Based at Fosse House in Leicester we are hosted by NHS Leicestershire County & Rutland. Our role is to commission specialised services on behalf of the nine East Midlands Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).
Decisions about commissioning policy are made by the EMSCG Board operating under an establishment agreement, signed by the nine PCTs across the East Midlands which describes the membership responsibilites and accountabilities of the 9 member PCTs. We assumed commissioning responsibility for 35 specialised services on 1st April 2008.
The EMSCG's vision
for how specialised services will develop in the East Midlands can be summarised as follows:
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The entire population of the East Midlands will have fair and equitable access to the full range of specialised services
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All care will be patient centred, pathway based and delivered as near to home as possible
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Each patient will receive the right treatment in the right place at the right time
The EMSCG role is to:
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Plan, assess needs, procure and performance monitor specialised services, based upon the national specialised service definition set, accessed via http://www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/
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Develop, negotiate, agree, maintain and monitor contracts with providers of specialised services
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Undertake reviews of specialised services and manage the introduction of drugs and new technologies
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Co-ordinate a common approach to the commissioning of specialised services outside the NHS East Midlands (Strategic Health Authority) boundary
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Manage the pooled budget (from PCT allocations) for commissioning specialised services and put financial risk sharing arrangements in place
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Put in place clear processes for the designation of specialised service providers and ensure ongoing clinical quality through a rolling programme of service review
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Ensure that a formal process of public and patient involvement underpins EMSCG work
Further information can be found on our website http://www.emscg.nhs.uk/
