Two further NHS consultations
Two further consultations on plans to reform the NHS have been launched. They are on:
- Arms Length Bodies
- Regulating healthcare providers
Arms Length Body review
These proposals form part of a cross-Government initiative to reduce the number and cost of quangos. The review proposes that:
- six arm’s-length bodies have a clear future as arm’s-length bodies, operating in the most cost effective and efficient way: Monitor, the Care Quality Commission, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Health and Social Care Information Centre and NHS Blood & Transplant
- the functions of two arm’s-length bodies will be transferred to other organisations to achieve greater synergies where appropriate: the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Human Tissue Authority
- two arm’s-length bodies will be abolished as statutory organisations and their functions will be transferred to the Secretary of State as part of the new Public Health Service: the Health Protection Agency and the National Treatment Agency
- four arm’s-length bodies will be abolished from the sector; the Alcohol Education Research Council, the Appointments Commission, the National Patient Safety Agency and NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
The review also includes proposals for a new research regulator. The Government has asked the Academy of Medical Sciences to conduct an independent review of the regulation and governance of medical research which is expected to report in autumn 2010. Currently a number of different arm’s-length bodies have responsibility for different aspects of research regulation, including giving permissions.
The review can be found here.
Provider regulation
The Regulating Healthcare Providers document sets out proposals to ‘free providers from central Government controls and to develop Monitor, the current regulator for foundation trusts, as an independent economic regulator for health and adult social care’.
Under the proposals:
- all remaining NHS trusts will become or be part of a foundation trust, not subject to the Secretary of State’s direction.
- all providers will compete on a fair playing field, so that they succeed or fail according to the quality of care for patients and the value they offer the taxpayer.
- Monitor will be responsible for regulating all providers to promote efficient, financially sustainable service provision. It will operate independently of Government
- Monitor will have powers to license providers of NHS services and core functions to regulate prices for NHS services, where needed, to promote competition, and to support service continuity.
The full review can be found here.
The Government is seeking views by 11 October.
