The Senate Council leads the London Clinical Senate and is responsible for organising the Senate’s work.
The London Clinical Senate Council is a ‘multi-professional group’ which means many of the members are professions who work in healthcare. It has an independent chair, Dr Mike Gill, and over 20 members.
There are nominated representatives from the following groups:
- The London Clinical Senate Patient & Public Voice Group
- London’s Academic Health Science Networks
- London’s Health Education England
- London’s Directors of Public Health
- London Directors of Social Care.
Other members are nominated from the NHS. They are selected after an open application and each bring particular qualities and experience to improve the Senate’s work.
As it has diverse members with different backgrounds and experience the Council can offer a whole system perspective and also keep a strategic overview of health and social care in London. It provides overall leadership for the Senate and is responsible for coordinating the Senate’s work and how it gives advice, drawing on the views and expertise of the wider Forum. It acts as the public face of the Senate, leads development of the Senate’s work programme and reviews its effectiveness.
Since September 2014 Clinical Senate’s have been responsible for giving independent advice on proposals for service change. This function was previously carried out by the National Clinical Advisory Team (NCAT). In practice this means that an independent review by the London Clinical Senate is a necessary step before launching any formal public consultation on significant service change.
The central focus of these reviews is whether proposals are underpinned by a clear clinical evidence base, one of the four tests. plus a bed test required in the Mandate from the Government to NHS England. We encourage all commissioners developing proposals for significant change to get in touch with us as early as possible in the process, as these may require a clinical senate review. Whilst the size and complexity of schemes can vary, reviews typically require a lead in time of up to four months.
In London, the Mayor reviews reconfiguration plans applying the Mayors test (link to document). This is independent of the London Clinical Senate reviews.