03.03.16
Monitor calls on trusts to resubmit activity plans in greater detail
NHS providers failed to submit financial activity plans to Monitor in enough detail and must resubmit them by tomorrow, the health service regulator has said.
Monitor initially asked each NHS trust and foundation trust to submit activity plans, including for their financial activity in 2016-17 on 8 February, then sent an e-mail on 22 February asking them to resubmit the plans.
In an NHS Improvement Provider Bulletin sent yesterday, the organisation says that many of the original plans submitted did “not contain data of a high enough quality to provide a firm basis for contracts to be signed and delivered” and asks providers to resubmit their plans by midday on March 4.
Monitor added that it wants to ensure that each provider is making enough progress to have a “robust plan” in place for the final submission deadline of 11 April 2016.
The order comes at a time of increased scrutiny of NHS trusts by NHS Improvement after new figures showed that 179 out of 240 NHS providers are reporting a deficit.
Jim Mackey, chief executive designate of NHS Improvement, said in response to the deficit figures: “Further improvements will be required by the whole NHS at pace and scale to tackle the current financial and operational challenges it faces.”