Specialist Services
This page is divided into the following sections which are easily accessible by following the links below:
- Introduction
- Commissioning Process
- Criteria for national commissioning process
- Performance Management of national commissioned Specialist Services
- Reviews of national Specialist Services
- List of National Specialist Services
Introduction
Our aim at National Services Division is to help patients who need access to treatment or investigation of a very specialised nature, or who have a very rare condition, to obtain the care that they need, while seeking to ensure that the highest possible standards are delivered within available resources. National commissioning aims to:
- Ensure equity of access for all Scottish residents to specialist and screening services
- Ensure the best possible clinical outcomes within the funding available
- Provide a secure funded environment for the establishment and development of new national services
- Provide a risk-sharing arrangement for NHS Boards where incidence is sporadic and treatment involves specialist skills or expensive equipment
- Avoid the unnecessary proliferation of duplicate services, thus promoting clinical quality and cost effectiveness
Commissioning process
National commissioning is reserved for those very specialist services where local or even regional commissioning is not appropriate. The services are generally concerned with the diagnosis and/or treatment of rare conditions.
Applications for designation to become a nationally commissioned service will be considered by the National Services Advisory Group (NSAG). NSAG advises NHS Boards and the Scottish Government Health Directorates on major changes such as the designation of new specialist services and the de-designation of existing designated national specialist services.
(back to top)Criteria for national commissioning process
The criteria which are used by the NSAG in recommending services for designation for national funding or the de-designation of existing services are set out below. These aspects are considered as interdependent factors and not in isolation. To be recommended for designation services will be:
- highly specialist
- of proven effectiveness
- incidence of the condition requiring diagnosis and/or treatment is rare and/or unpredictable
- meet a recognised need for all residents of Scotland within a clearly defined clinical area (i.e service is national)
- require a highly skilled multidisciplinary team and / or specialist equipment and facilities that can only be provided cost effectively in one, or very few, locations
- require concentration of expertise to achieve clinical effectiveness
- require close monitoring eg of a new clinical technique, and/ or designation to prevent inappropriate proliferation
- require scarce clinical skills
- are at risk, and require stable, protected, funding to ensure sustainability
Performance Management of national commissioned Specialist Services
Performance Management of national services is a continuous process of close informal working and formal annual performance review. The formal element of the annual cycle of performance management involves two meetings each year with each national service.
All national services are required to submit an annual report using the NSD template. This is available, along with guidance on how to complete from the links below:
Specialist Services Annual Report Template [4 pages, 139Kb]
Guidance notes for the completion of the annual report for Specialist Services [7 pages, 101Kb]
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Reviews of national Specialist Services
All existing designated national specialist services are reviewed within a 3-5 year rolling programme to ensure that services:
- continue to meet the National Services Advisory Group designation criteria
- Are clinically and cost effective
- Continue to meet needs and still require designation
List of National Specialist Services
The table below includes a list of the National Specialist Services commissioned by NSD:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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