Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how NHS England will ensure adherence to national standards, once responsibility for commissioning specialised services is devolved or delegated to clinical commissioning groups.

NHS England will continue to remain responsible for specialised services, including when the day-to-day commissioning of those services is delegated to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

To support CCGs to move to place-based commissioning arrangements for relevant specialised services, NHS England is in the process of developing a framework of options for CCGs, ranging from less formal ‘seat at the table’ type arrangements, to more formal joint arrangements, delegated commissioning, or devolution.

Depending on the type of arrangement that is pursued in a given geographical area, there will be different implications for governance arrangements and how reporting and assurance arrangements would operate.

NHS England is working through these various implications – including reviewing the existing reporting and assurance arrangements for specialised commissioning and determining whether these may need to change in light of moving to place-based arrangements. This will include exploring the issues set out here around ensuring adherence to national standards and data transparency.

NHS England is keen to test and engage with key stakeholders as it develops its framework of options.