Dialysis Machines

(asked on 24th November 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the level of need for specialist renal services to deal with the complications and emergencies associated with dialysis; and how such services will be commissioned from April 2015.


Answered by
 Portrait
Jane Ellison
This question was answered on 27th November 2014

NHS England has advised that they are in dialogue with key stakeholders about both the opportunities and challenges of transferring responsibility for renal services. The head of the Specialised Services Task Force in NHS England recently met stakeholders from renal service representative groups and heard their concerns directly.

The Department intends to launch a public consultation by the end of 2014 on the recommendations put forward by the independent clinically-led advisory group (Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group) to transfer commissioning responsibility for renal services from NHS England to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

This public consultation will specifically be asking key stakeholders involved in the provision of renal dialysis what NHS England would need to do to ensure a safe transfer of commissioning responsibilities to CCGs. This consultation will also be asking stakeholders specifically whether the current proposed timescales for the transfer of services are feasible.

A new Task & Finish group is being established by NHS England through the NHS Commissioning Assembly. This group will look specifically at what support CCGs would require to be able to safely and effectively commission services devolved to them.

NHS England is committed to issuing commissioning guidance for the safe transfer of services from national NHS England responsibility to local CCG responsibility.

Reticulating Splines