Organise children's specialist services for best staff, facilities, and outcomes, prioritising quality

The Index has not yet recorded a verbatim government response to this recommendation.

NHS England became the accountable commissioner for 154 prescribed specialised services in 2013. A Women and Children National Programme of Care Steering group provides leadership and oversight of the development and delivery of a comprehensive work programme, covering congenital and inherited diseases. 15 clinical reference groups additionally provide advice on:
• Specialised surgery in children
• Paediatric neurosciences
• Congenital heart services
• Metabolic disorders
• Paediatric critical care
• Neonatal critical care
• Specialised women’s services
• Paediatric haematology
• Specialised paediatric rheumatology
• Specialised paediatric gastroenterology
• Specialised paediatric respiratory
• Specialised paediatric palliative care
• Specialised paediatric allergy, immunology and infectious disease
• Specialised paediatric renal services • Specialised paediatric endocrinology

The CRGs develop service specifications which define the standards of care expected from organisations providing specialised care.

In line with the Heath and Care Act 2022, responsibility for specialised services has been delegated to Integrated Care Boards, where appropriate. ICBs took on this delegated responsibility for many specialised services, including most services for children, from April responsibility from April 2023

The NICE guideline [NG204]: Babies, children and young people’s experience of healthcare, published on 25 August 2021, provides that care for babies, children and young people should be provided in an environment that:

• meets their clinical and personal needs

• takes into account their preferences about their place of care (or the preferences of parents or carers for babies or young children)

• is appropriate for their age and developmental stage, is physically accessible and has adaptations available, if needed

In its January 2002 response, the Department of Health said it would consider evidence on optimal workload in relation to outcomes in the Paediatric and Cardiac Congenital Services Review and the National Service Framework process.