CLINICAL RECOMMENDATIONS COMMITTEE

This is a summary of the Clinical Recommendations Committee Policy, a full copy of which is available for download at the bottom of this page.

For a copy of the NHS Act 2001 please follow this link

Introduction

It is a duty of the Department to provide comprehensive healthcare within the resources available. It is also a duty that decisions made are equitable and in the interest of the whole population. The Department must provide health care within the available budget. High priority should be given to those treatments that are known to be most cost effective at improving health and a much lower priority will be given to those treatments or interventions for which the cost is high or the evidence for health improvement is low. Highest priority is given to Emergency Treatment and acute life-saving interventions.

Remit

The Clinical Recommendations Committee (CRC) will recommend to the Department (The Minister) which are the most pressing clinical needs that have to be progressed. It will also make recommendation on those clinical interventions that are of low priority and on the prioritisation of services in order of effectiveness, based on the needs of the population of the Isle of Man.

The purpose of the CRC is to:

Encourage and promote the use of evidence-based guidelines and frameworks to assist the Department in allocating resources to promote health, prevent disease and deliver Health Services on the Island.
Encourage the use of health technology that has been proven to be cost-effective.
Promote a uniform, fair and open approach to resource allocation decisions.
Advise on the managed introduction of new health technologies, including new pharmaceuticals, into clinical practice, considering cost-effectiveness and affordability within the Isle of Man context

This Committee intends to provide:

Guidance for clinicians about clinical investigations and interventions which the Department has agreed should be subject to some form of prioritisation as part of the Clinical Recommendations Policy.
To inform Hospital Clinicians, GP's and the public about what treatment the Department provides locally and to support clinicians in decisions they make with regards to effective and appropriate healthcare.

The Recommendations arising from the CRC, approved by the Minister, will provide a public statement on what treatments or procedures are not being given high priority or not being supplied by the Department. However, there may be exceptional circumstances or individual cases in which treatments that are considered a low priority will be provided. These cases will be considered by a Sub-Committee of the CRC, which will meet immediately after each monthly meeting to discuss Exception Requests. Within the policy guidance notes as to how to apply to this Exceptions Committee and on how to appeal against a Recommendation made by the CRC.

Prioritisation

In order to provide a clear direction on clinical priorities and needs to those tasked with commissioning or funding of health care services, the CRC will recommend the allocation of one of the following priorities to its Recommendation statements:

High Priority indicates that this health care intervention or drug is supported by the Department and a service to deliver it will normally be funded or provided, e.g. Emergency Services and acute life-saving health care services.
Restricted Availability indicates that the availability of some services or interventions or drugs may be restricted because of capacity or resource constraints or because the evidence for clinical effectiveness is limited and/or where treatment is restricted to those patients who are most likely to benefit according to protocols put in place by doctors other treatment providers.
Low Priority indicates that the drug, treatment, procedure, investigation, or screening or other public health programme, will not normally (usually) be funded by the Department either because it is not considered to be a clinical imperative or because the evidence for clinical effectiveness is limited. Low priority interventions will only be funded (or carried out) for indications which will be known as 'Exceptions'.
Not Recommended indicates that the Department does not support the use of, and will not fund, a particular health care intervention because the drug, treatment, procedure, investigation or screening or other public health programme is unsafe or proven to be ineffective.

Please find documents available for download, that detail the Policy of the Clinical Recommendations Committee in full and the current Membership of the Committee (2009). The Recommendations approved by the Department are available on request from dh@gov.im

Should you require any further information please feel free to contact the Secretary by telephoning: +44 (0) 1624 642614.

Please click on a heading below to download the document

Terms & Conditions

Health

Department of Health

Rheynn Slaynt

CLINICAL RECOMMENDATIONS COMMITTEE

Introduction

Remit

Prioritisation

Please click on a heading below to download the document