Future Forum report published
The NHS Future Forum published its recommendations to the Government on the proposed reforms to the NHS in England this afternoon. At the launch of the report, Professor Steve Field, Chair of the NHS Future Forum Professor Steve Field recommended a number of changes to the Health and Social Care Bill.
The recommendations are covered in four separate reports, each aligned to the separate working groups on:
- choice and competition
- clinical advice and leadership
- education and training
- patient involvement and public accountability
As predicted, the report recommends the diluting the role of competition within the NHS. Prof Field said that “there is a place for competition but only to support choice, promoting integration and improving quality. The role of Monitor to promote competition must be removed and in its place a duty to support choice, collaboration and integration.”
On the 2013 deadline for GP commissioning, Prof Field said that “this will not be a black and white cut off point. But there should not be an opt out choice for consortia – the NHS Commissioning Board should encourage and process consortia applications as close to the date as possible.”
When questioned on whether changing the role of Monitor from economic regulator to sector regulator would make any practical difference, Stephen Bubb stated that “the language used about the regulator has been unfortunate and if we did it all again it would be done differently. Through the choice mandate the primary purpose of the regulators – Monitor, NHS Commissioning Board and consortia - will be to drive choice over competition.”
The Forum makes a number of recommendations, which are detailed below. Of particular interest is the recommendation that clinical networks, such as those for cancer, are “supported and embedded at all levels of the system.” In order to ensure multi-professional involvement in commissioning the working group recommended:
- Strengthening current duties in the Bill on consortia and the NHS Commissioning Board to seek appropriate advice in taking on board multi-professional views in commissioning
- Embedding clinical and professional networks in the new system architecture, including further work on what these should be.
