NHS Confederation response to the progress dashboard for STPs

25 Jul 2017 10:03 AM

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, commented on the recent publication of the progress dashboard for STPs

“STPs will be critical in changing the way care is delivered all over England. We congratulate those rated outstanding today and note more than half are described as at an advanced stage.

“However, the decision to rate individual STPs is a mixed blessing. There will be good reasons why some areas are progressing more slowly and it's vital we give them the support they need, rather than point the finger.

“While there is a case for setting a baseline to measure future progress, we are concerned that the measures at this point must be relatively crude. It may make sense to incentivise those who are most advanced, and set a baseline for future progress but it would be a mistake to stigmatise partnerships that are at an early stage in their development.

“Now is the time to encourage and nurture partnership working and support those who are seeking to foster collaboration at a local level – without it, services will continue to struggle to meet growing demand and patients will suffer. It is in everyone’s interest that every STP succeeds."

STP progress dashboard - NHS England