What is the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS)?

NCAS, previously the National Clinical Assessment Authority, was established as a special health authority in April 2001, following recommendations made in the Chief Medical Officer for England's reports, ‘Supporting Doctors, Protecting Patients’ (1999) and ‘Assuring the Quality of Medical Practice: Implementing Supporting Doctors, Protecting Patients’ (2001). In April 2005, the National Clinical Assessment Authority became the National Clinical Assessment Service, an operating division of the National Patient Safety Agency.

The support that NCAS provides can range from advice over the telephone, through more detailed and ongoing support, to a full assessment of the practitioner's performance. NCAS does not take on the role of an employer, nor does it function as a regulator. NCAS has offices in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and provides its services to the whole of the UK, as well as Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey. It also provides services to the independent healthcare sector and the Surgeon General's Office.