The CRG for Vascular Services

Abstract

The last decade has witnessed a number of changes in the delivery of vascular services nationwide. Vascular surgery attained speciality status in 2012, and is well recognised as an urgent and emergent speciality delivering time-dependent care for patients with aortic aneurysms, carotid surgery for stroke prevention and lower limb revascularisation for critical limb-threatening ischaemia. The National Vascular Registry (NVR), established in 2013, provides effective monitoring and reports on outcomes whilst also delivering a robust programme of quality improvement.1 The National Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme was fully implemented in 2014,2 and this coincided with a move towards centralisation of vascular services to a network model of care with elective and emergency arterial surgery concentrated in arterial hubs. In 2013, NHS England took full responsibility for all specialised commissioning which included all arterial surgery. Over the years, major vascular policy decisions make reference to the Vascular Clinical Reference Group (CRG), yet few clinicians are aware of who these groups are, who they are accountable to and how they are involved in organising, reconfiguring, delivering and monitoring of vascular services in England.