Specialised services commissioning: area E women and children

Overview

The Women and Children Programme of Care (PoC) includes a group of clinically closely aligned services, but critically has significant crossover with the other PoCs. 

Without doubt, the most satisfying facet of this work has been the enthusiasm, skill and dedication that has been demonstrated by the many clinicians, public health representatives and patients taking part in the process. The seven Royal Colleges represented within the Women and Children PoC, have also worked closely with us, including wide consultation with many professional special interest groups within the Colleges - all of whom have been keen to be involved, thus ensuring robust and consensual products.

Importantly, the Paediatric Medicine Clinical Reference Group (CRG) has produced a Generic Service Specification, to be appended to all services where children occur. It includes details of safeguarding and the crucially important and careful transition to adult care, together with a description of the appropriated environment and trained workforce to treat children, keep them safe and ensure a good hospital experience.

Everyone involved with the CRGs within the Women and Children POC, has offered their contribution with the strong belief that they can make an impact on the future of their services within the new commissioning structure, safeguarding them to ensure delivery of high quality, safe care.

Dr Jacqueline M Cornish, OBE, FRCP

Chair, Women and Children, Congenital and Inherited Diseases Programme of Care and the Paediatric Medicine Clinical Reference Group

Director, Paediatric Stem Cell Transplant, Bristol Royal Hospital For Children

Head of Division, Women’s and Children’s Services, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

Why We Are Consulting

A range of service specifications and clinical policies for specialised services commissioning have been developed by Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs).

There has already been extensive engagement on these new national specifications and policies, as they have been developed with the support and input of lead clinicians and patient and public representatives. This approach has helped ensure that the views of key stakeholders have informed and influenced the policies and specifications.

We now want to test them further with more stakeholders to ensure all needs and considerations have been taken into account.