---

Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund

Answer

In April 2013, NHS England became the direct commissioner of specialised services. In order to achieve a nationally consistent approach to commissioning, it had to bring together differing regional and local approaches to contracting with providers, different sets of standards, and varying levels of access to services around the country.

NHS England has advised that the scale of the task has resulted in a level of unplanned expenditure. To manage this unplanned expenditure both in year and into the future, NHS England has needed to concentrate its efforts on its core commissioning requirements. The Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund announced by NHS England in August 2013, sits outside the core requirements and in October NHS England reluctantly took the decision to suspend it.

NHS England has advised that once these challenges have been addressed and its five year strategy for specialised services has been developed, it will be able to reconsider how best to support the adoption of innovations in specialised services.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

HL5068; 752 c105WA

Session

2013-14

Subjects

Health services Finance Innovation NHS Procurement

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk