Funding interventional procedures and devices

NHS Leeds will routinely commission interventional procedures where National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) arrangements indicate “normal” and the evidence of effectiveness is sufficiently robust.

Any proposal to introduce a NICE approved interventional procedure must come through the usual business planning process. NHS Leeds will not fund interventional procedures introduced outside a business planning process.

NHS Leeds does not routinely commission interventional procedures where NICE arrangement indicate “special”, “other”, “research only” and “do not use”.

The commissioning statements for individual procedures are the same as those issued by NICE. To view these please visit www.nice.org.uk. NHS Leeds will develop its own commissioning statements for procedures not covered by tariff. Where appropriate this will be done collaboratively through the Yorkshire and Humber Specialised Commissioning Group.

An individual funding request (IFR) may be submitted for a patient who is felt to be an exception to the commissioning statements of NHS Leeds.

An individual funding request for an interventional procedure must demonstrate that:

• the patient is significantly different to the general population of patients with the condition in question; and
• that the patient is likely to gain significantly more benefit from the intervention than might be normally expected for patients with that condition.

NHS Leeds accepts there are clinical situations that are unique (five or fewer patients) where an IFR is appropriate and exceptionality may be difficult to demonstrate.

Whilst NHS Leeds is always interested in innovation that makes more effective use of resources, in year introduction of a procedure does not mean NHS Leeds will routinely commission the use of the procedure. An individual funding request is not an appropriate mechanism to introduce a new treatment for a group or cohort of patients. Where treatment is for a cohort larger than five patients, a proposal to develop the service, the introduction of a new procedure, should go through the usual business planning process.

What is an interventional procedure?

An interventional procedure is a procedure used for diagnosis or treatment that involves one of the following.

• Making a cut or a hole to gain access to the inside of a patient's body - for example, when carrying out an operation or inserting a tube into a blood vessel.
• Gaining access to a body cavity (such as the digestive system, lungs, womb or bladder) without cutting into the body - for example, examining or carrying out treatment on the inside of the stomach using an instrument inserted via the mouth.
• Using electromagnetic radiation (which includes X-rays, lasers, gamma-rays and ultraviolet light) - for example, using a laser to treat eye problems.

These definitions have been take from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) website.

Related pages on this site

Commissioning StatementsThis section provides details on how NHS Leeds commissions (funds) treatments not routinely offered on the NHS. includes information on individual funding requests.Individual Funding RequestsThis section provides details on how NHS Leeds commissions (funds) treatments not routinely offered on the NHS. includes information on individual funding requests.High cost drugsThis page provides details on how NHS Leeds commissions (funds) high cost drugs and what our criteria is.

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