Commissioning and adoption - Commissioning in the NHS
The commissioning of services in the NHS changed with the introduction of ICS partnerships. NHS England retains some funding for the commissioning of specific services including primary care services and specialised services such as pioneering procedures and new treatments. The national tariff payment system is a set of pricing rules established to help commissioners and providers of NHS care to provide the best value to their patients.
Who is going to pay for your innovation? Who would be responsible for commissioning your innovation, ICSs or NHS England?
It is not enough to create a product that simply makes patients better. Your innovation will need to:
- be something that clinicians will be able to accommodate in their clinical practice
- work in the whole organisation
- be something that someone is willing to pay for
Often the person paying for the innovation is completely different to those who deliver care. The evidence needed to make a decision about the uptake of innovation into the NHS is different depending on the part of the NHS the person works in. Healthcare professionals will support the uptake of an innovation if they can see the benefits that it can bring to patients. Those commissioning the innovation also need to weigh this up against how cost effective it will be for the NHS. The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) make recommendations on what innovations NHS England should consider commissioning. Find out more about how CPAG advise NHS England.