Not all treatments and medications are routinely funded on the NHS. This is because the effectiveness of certain procedures and medications can vary significantly amongst patients, so for some people treatments can be more harmful than they are helpful.

The NHS has a responsibility to make sure it is using its limited resources in a way that gives patients the most health benefits and best outcomes.

The main objective for having a clinical commissioning policy is to ensure that:

  • Patients receive appropriate, evidence-based health treatments in the right place, at the right time
  • Treatments that are routinely undertaken represent the most effective and cost- effective use of the limited resource available
  • Treatments with no or a very limited clinical evidence base are not routinely undertaken 
  • Treatments with minimal health gain are restricted
  • The risk of avoidable harm is reduced.  With all surgical interventions, there is always a risk of complications and adverse effects which could be avoided
  • Clinicians are assisted in maintaining their professional practice in line with the changing evidence base
  • Available resources are maximized, and waste is avoided as ineffective care is poor value for money for the taxpayer and the NHS.

Every NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for determining the range and level of clinical/medical services provided to the public it serves. In doing so ICBs are legally obliged to develop and publish any policies it has adopted to determine the availability of specific treatments or procedures for the local population.

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board has a range of clinical commissioning policies which outline the treatments and procedures they fund and details of who may be eligible to receive them. A full list of existing policies can be found via the links below.

Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board :: Commissioning policies (icb.nhs.uk)