FOI2026/2095

I am writing on behalf of the Association of Surgeons in Primary Care, the professional association for clinicians who perform surgery in primary care and community settings. We are mapping which surgical services are currently commissioned outside hospital across the United Kingdom, to support commissioners and clinicians as more planned care moves out of hospitals. We will publish the result as a dated snapshot.

This request concerns services commissioned now. I am not asking for historical data, and I am not asking for the name of any individual clinician.

For each of the services listed below, please provide:

1. whether your organisation currently commissions the service outside a hospital setting, yes or no; b. the name of each provider organisation or practice currently contracted to deliver it; c. a copy of the current service specification, or a web link if it is already published.

Vasectomy.

Carpal tunnel decompression.

Any other surgical procedure commissioned in a community or primary care setting, for example trigger finger release, ganglion excision, ingrowing toenail surgery or other minor surgery delivered under a separate contract.

If you hold any of this as a list or spreadsheet, a copy in CSV or Excel format would be ideal, as it allows us to compare answers across the United Kingdom consistently.

If answering part c for every service would exceed the appropriate limit, please treat parts a and b as the priority, provide those, and tell me what you have set aside, so that I can submit a narrower request rather than receive a refusal. I am content to receive copies of documents that already exist, and I am not asking you to create new analysis.

An excel document was sent to the requester with this response.  If you require a copy of the full response, together with the attachments, please contact NHS GM’s FOI team – nhsgm.foi@nhs.net

The Minor Surgery Directed Enhanced Service (DES) is available to all general practices to deliver, subject to meeting the requirements set out in the national service specification.

As outlined in the attached specification, a practice may be accepted to provide the service where it has a partner, employee or sub-contractor with the necessary skills and experience to undertake the contracted procedures, which include:

• Injections into muscles, tendons and joints.
• Invasive procedures, including incisions and excisions.
• Injections for varicose veins and piles – NHS Greater Manchester currently has no practices providing this element of the service under the DES.

The attached list identifies the Greater Manchester practices that have signed up to deliver the Minor Surgery DES, covering injections and/or incisions and excisions.

All of the NHS acute trusts within the Greater Manchester (GM) Integrated Care System (ICS) deliver acute and community services within their respective geographical footprints. There may be occasions when elements of the minor surgery pathway are delivered at an alternative site, other than the main acute hospital buildings. Should you wish to establish which acute trust delivers minor surgical procedures at alternative non-acute sites within their respective estates arrangements, we recommend you reach out to the GM ICS NHS acute trusts, via the below contact details.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Bolton NHS FT (boltonft.nhs.uk)

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Northern Care Alliance

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (mft.nhs.uk)

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care (tamesideandglossopicft.nhs…

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information disclosure logs (christie.nhs.uk)

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information :: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)