03.06.15
NHS regulators take unprecedented action in three entire regions
In an unprecedented move, regulators are to step in to help guide health services in three entire regions of England.
NHS England, Monitor and the Trust Development Authority (TDA) will work together to impose a newly-devised “success regime” in three parts of the country where multiple trusts are failing and the entire health economy is struggling.
The new regime will ensure hospitals, GP surgeries and other NHS service providers work together much more closely to tackle deep-seated problems which other measures have been unable to correct.
NHE can reveal that three areas which will be first to undergo the 'success regime' will be Essex, north Cumbria, and northern, eastern and western Devon (Torbay and south Devon are not included).
Some of the issues facing trusts in the regions include staff shortages, waiting time failures, financial deficits and failings in care. During 2014-15, 11 "challenged" health economies received support with strategic planning, NHS England said. But this is understood to be the first time regulators have imposed such measures on entire regions rather than individual trusts.
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens announced the new scheme today at the NHS Confederation annual conference.
NHS England’s director of commissioning operations for the south west, Anthony Farnsworth, said: "A lot has already been done locally so the new support is about building on this and adding to leadership capacity across the whole health and care system. We know we can do so much more collectively, working across organisational boundaries, than we can individually. That is a central message of the scheme unveiled today."
Dr Tim Burke, who chairs NHS Northern, Eastern & Western Devon CCG, said: “Devon has already made significant inroads to address the challenges of increasing pressure on NHS services in our area. We recognise that only by putting organisational boundaries aside can we truly deliver the change we need and today’s announcement helps us to continue this important work. We welcome the commitment of the NHS England, Monitor and TDA to help us in this.
“Commissioning decisions must always be based on the needs of people living here, ensuring patients remain at the centre of our decision-making especially when there are times of financial difficulty.”
This is how NHS England defines its new 'success regime', which Stevens told the NHS Confederation annual conference was deliberately not called a 'failure regime': "The 'success regime' will seek to address deep-rooted and systemic issues that previous interventions have not tackled across the whole health and care economy. It provides local organisations with the means and opportunity to work together to improve services for patients and they will benefit from support and resource to achieve this.
"The success regime will build upon existing approaches to providing support and challenge to local systems by working across whole health and care economies in a more joined-up way to fix the current problems rather than focussing on a single organisation when trying to solve systemic problems.
"As well as identifying the issues and any changes required, it will provide both support and challenge to health and care organisations, and work with them to implement any necessary changes. This will include working with organisations to develop and strengthen leadership, with a particular focus on leaders working together to drive improvements for patients and for their organisations."
(Picture by: Rui Vieira / PA Wire)
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