21st April 2023

Policy Update
The Department of Health (DoH) has published its updated Effective Use of Resources (EUR) Policy. Reviewing the current commissioning position across a broad range of procedures and treatments the policy takes account of emerging clinical evidence from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and similar organisations. The EUR Policy can be viewed at:
Northern Ireland Evidence-Based Commissioning Position: Effective Use of Resources
The Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) has expanded the range of treatments and procedures commissioned within defined criteria or which are not routinely commissioned. This aligns with recent practice in Clinical Commissioning Groups in England and Wales where lists of procedures considered to be of low clinical value have been identified.
The primary aims of this commissioning approach are to reduce waiting times and help guide the allocation of resources to areas of greatest clinical benefit.
A range of stakeholders informed the revision of the criteria for Northern Ireland. This includes healthcare professionals, Trust managers, GPs, Royal College of Surgeons representatives, Personal and Public Involvement leads and Public Health Agency staff.
Going forward, to ensure new and emerging clinical evidence is reflected, the SPPG will review the EUR Policy on a biannual basis.
The Consultation Process
The revised EUR policy has been developed following a public consultation process launched in October 2021 by the former Health and Social Care Board. The purpose of this consultation was to make this information as accessible as possible and to promote engagement with users of the services we commission.
The draft EUR policy set out the referral criteria for a small number of procedures, most of which were related to the plastic surgery service. A key driver for the revision of the EUR policy was the need for a clearly defined and co-ordinated approach to ensure that resources are used in an equitable and effective way. This helps ensure services provide the greatest clinical benefit for patients while maximising the effectiveness of public resources.
Key consultation documents included:
Title | Description | Size | Date added | Download |
---|---|---|---|---|
Consultation Letter: NI Evidence-Based Commissioning Effective Use of Resources | 126.53 KB | 21-04-2023 | DownloadPreview | |
Consultation Document: NI Evidence-Based Commissioning Effective Use of Resources | 440.89 KB | 21-04-2023 | DownloadPreview | |
Consultation Document - Easy Read Version: NI Evidence-Based Commissioning Effective Use of Resources | 309.72 KB | 21-04-2023 | DownloadPreview |
The Health and Social Care Board committed to publishing the revised EUR policy informed by the responses from the completion of the consultation process.