Written question asked by Baroness Ford (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Earl Howe (Conservative) on Monday, 4 July 2011.

NHS: Commissioning

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the recent National Health Service review has taken account of the needs of long-term complex conditions, such as epilepsy, in designing commissioning groups.

Answer: The recent listening events, organised as part of the National Health Service review, have involved representations from individuals and stakeholders representing those living with long-term complex conditions. In particular, concerns were raised over the commissioning of services for those with complex needs. The NHS Future Forum has addressed these concerns by recommending that: general practitioners must be required to obtain all relevant multi-professional advice to inform commissioning decisions; the declaration of ““no decision about me, without me”” must be hard-wired into every part of the system; and there must be transparency about how public money is spent.

Secondary information