Managed clinical networks: what are they and how do they work?

UNLABELLED: Managed clinical networks (MCNs) play an increasingly important part in the delivery of effective healthcare. This paper describes what they are and how they work, based on the experience of MCNs in Scotland and, in particular, CleftSiS, the National Managed Clinical Network for Cleft Lip and Palate Services in Scotland. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The basic principles of MCNs described in this paper will assist clinicians in all specialties, with the development of MCNs that modernize and integrate the delivery of effective healthcare.