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National Commissioning Group for Highly Specialised Services: guidance on how to apply for national commissioning and designation from April 2009

Information about the process by which highly specialised services can apply to be nationally commissioned and designated from April 2009.

The National Commissioning Group (NCG) (formerly known as the National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group) helps patients by promoting equity of access to highly specialised services and by sustaining high levels of clinical expertise through national designation of centres of excellence. We help local commissioners by smoothing out risk, and removing from them the responsibility to plan and monitor low-volume services. We help providers by providing a focus for discussion about management of the services and any service developments.

• Download guidance (PDF, 247K)
• Download word-processable application forms (RTF, 30K)