DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2008/0084) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 10
September 2008
The Government
today set out further details for tackling poor performance in NHS
hospitals and trusts while protecting services for patients.
Following on from the publication of 'Developing an NHS
Performance Regime' in June this year, the Department of
Health has announced proposals detailing the steps that would be
taken if an organisation failed, either for clinical or
organisational reasons.
The regime aims to:
* underpin the NHS performance regime;
* ensure the public receive high-quality services by supporting
quality regulation;
* reinforce the NHS Foundation Trust regime; and
* protect patients and staff from failing services.
The 'Consultation on a Regime for Unsustainable NHS
Providers' picks up at the point where an organisation has
failed to turn its performance around. The regime is the last step
for providers who are subject to previous recovery actions by
Monitor or the NHS performance regime. It proposes that a
'Trust Special Administrator' would be appointed to take
control of the Trust to ensure that it continues to provide safe
and effective services for patients. They would also be required
to produce a report and consult swiftly on proposals for the
future of the trust.
David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS, said:
"The majority of hospitals and trusts are performing well,
providing high quality services to patients and managing resources
effectively. However, in the rare cases where a challenged trust
fails to turn itself around, it is important that there are clear
processes set out to ensure that services for patients continue to
be provided."
The consultation also makes proposals on what would happen in the
case of Foundation Trusts. Monitor, the Foundation Trust
regulator, would initiate the regime, removing foundation status
from a trust. It would then be subject to the same regime as NHS trusts.
Sue Slipman, Director of the Foundation Trust Network said:
"We welcome the Department of Health's consultation on
the regime to manage failed NHS organisations. In particular we
believe members will welcome the implication that the freedoms
granted to authorised foundation trusts will be preserved in any
system to deal with unsustainable NHS organisations. We will now
actively consult members on the detail of the document"
Robert Bell, Chief Executive of Royal Brompton and Harefield
Trust said:
"It's important that every exceptional effort is made
to ensure that a hospital carries on functioning, maintaining the
quality of care for its patients and the community it serves,
whilst performance issues are dealt with. This regime will help
address this."
The consultation will continue until December 3 2008 and can be
found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_087835
Notes to editors:
The regime for unsustainable providers is based on five essential principles:
* Patient interests must always come first
* State-owned providers are part of a wider NHS system
* The Secretary of State for Health is ultimately always
accountable to Parliament
* The regime for unsustainable NHS providers should take into
account the need to engage staff in the process
* The regime for unsustainable NHS providers must be credible and workable.