From Saturday 1 April 2023, NHS Somerset (ICB) will be responsible for the commissioning and management of pharmaceutical, ophthalmic and dental (POD) services in the county.
These services have previously been commissioned and managed by NHS England, but this change will mean that NHS Somerset will be responsible for a broader range of functions and enabling, to have a greater flexibility to integrate services across care pathways, ensuring continuity for patients and improved health outcomes for the local population.
Colleagues from NHS Somerset are working closely with NHSE to ensure a smooth transition of services so that patients will not be impacted by this change.
Staff at NHS England who are currently responsible for commissioning and managing these services will continue to do so as part of the delegation agreement. They will be responsible for a group of ICBs who will come together in local commissioning hubs. Complaints and correspondence for these services will continue to be managed by NHSE for the present.
This change is a significant milestone towards the move to a system-based approach to improvement and stronger partnership working as set out in the NHS England operating framework.
For more information on this page, please: visit the commissioning page on NHS England’s website
