The SPH team includes Consultants in Public Health Medicine (CPHM) who have experience of all aspects of the Individual Funding Requests process.
What we do
SPH can support your existing IFR processes. If your Integrated Care Board (ICB) already has good policies and processes in place to deliver IFR decisions, SPH can offer:
- Triage of new IFR applications – to include clinical review of IFR applications, liaison with clinicians initiating requests on behalf of their patients, rapid searching for evidence on clinical and cost effectiveness of interventions, identifying cases which should be managed through other mechanisms, e.g. as a potential service development.
- Support to IFR panels – to include preparation of case summaries, membership of IFR panels, help with drafting panel ‘decision letters’ and minutes, availability to respond to ‘urgent requests’ between meetings as required.
- Input to IFR appeals – to include work up of cases requesting appeal, to clarify and appraise the grounds for appeal, and membership of appeal panels. We can provide cover for appeals panels/processes by a CPHM not involved in the initial IFR panel decision if this is required by your governance framework.
SPH can review your IFR policies and processes. We offer an in-depth review of existing policies and processes to include:
- Process mapping
- Audit to evaluate whether decisions are in line with existing policy at both IFR and appeal panel level
- Feedback from those involved in the process and wider stakeholders re strengths and weaknesses
- Assessment of robustness to legal challenge and any potential issues related to legality of existing policies
- Policy re-drafting
- Process re-design and implementation
Training and evidence reviews
We offer training for IFR teams, IFR and appeal panel members, commissioning managers and wider stakeholders and w undertake rapid evidence reviews of interventions identified through IFRs which need to be re-routed through the potential service delivery/ annual commissioning round route.
NHS Arden & GEM Commissioning Support Unit, provides additional transactional support for IFR services. Details can be found on their website: https://www.ardengemcsu.nhs.uk/services/clinical-support/individual-funding-requests/.
Why choose SPH?
We have long-standing and current experience of providing public health input to the management of IFRs by ICBs via Consultants in Public Health Medicine supported by a team of evidence reviewers who can rapidly assimilate and appraise evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of healthcare interventions.
Please get in touch via our contact page.
