The NHS payment system: documents and guidance
Guidance and information on the NHS payment system, a set of prices and rules regulating how hospitals and other providers are paid for the care they give patients.
Objectives
The payment system aims to help NHS commissioners and providers improve services for patients in 3 ways:
- by offering more freedom, to encourage the development of new service models
- by providing greater financial certainty, to help NHS providers and commissioners plan better
- by maintaining incentives to provide care more efficiently
National tariff payment system 2017/18 and 2018/19
The 2017/19 National Tariff Payment System came into effect on 1 April 2017.
2016/17 payment system
Following consultation, Monitor and NHS England published the 2016/17 national tariff payment system in March 2016. You can find the tariff and supporting documents, as well as the consultation documents, below.
- NHS National Tariff Payment System 2016/17
- NHS providers and commissioners: submit locally determined prices to Monitor
- NHS National Tariff Payment System 2016/17: a consultation document
- 2016/17 National Tariff Payment System: draft prices
- Engagement on 2016/17 national tariff proposals
- 2016/17 national tariff: top-up payments for specialised services
- Proposed changes to local payment rules covering mental health services in the NHS
- 2016/17 national tariff proposals: currency design and relative prices
2015/16 payment system
- National tariff payment system 2015/16: a consultation notice
- NHS National Tariff Payment System 2015/16: engagement documents
- NHS pricing and incentives webinars
- NHS national prices methodology discussion paper
- The NHS payment system: Monitor and NHS England's plans for 2015/16
- Reimbursement of urgent and emergency care: options for reform
- Maternity pathway payment system: guidance for NHS providers and commissioners
Long-term reform of the NHS payment system
These documents show how Monitor plans to reform the NHS payment system over the next 5 years. Improvements to the NHS payment system will be critical to developing and delivering the new care models described in the ‘Five Year Forward View’.
2014/15 payment system
- National tariff payment system 2014/15
- Guide to the market forces factor 2014/15
- Mental health currencies and payment: 2014/15 guidance
- National tariff information workbook 2014/15
- NHS national tariff: enforcement guidance
- NHS national tariff payment system for 2014/15
- The national tariff for 2014/15: early engagement
- How can the NHS payment system do more for patients?
- 30% marginal rate rule for emergency admissions
- National tariff payment system 2014 to 2015: impact assessment
- Local price setting and contracting for NHS services without a national price
- The reimbursement system for NHS-funded care: an evaluation
2013/14 costing guidance
Enquiries about the national tariff
If you have any questions about the National Tariff Payment System, you can contact Monitor’s Pricing team at pricing@monitor.gov.uk.
A summary of past enquiries and responses is available below. These are not intended to supersede the National Tariff Payment System, which remains the main source of information.
Related resources
The Costs of Specialised Care
Independent research from the Centre for Health Economics analysing the relationship between costs of care and the delivery of specialised services.
Guide for patients
About Monitor
Last updated 23 March 2016 + show all updates
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Added Monitor and NHS England's 2016/17 National Tariff Payment System.
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Added the consultation on the National Tariff Payment System 2016/17.
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Added 2016/17 National Tariff Payment System: draft prices
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Added our proposals to reform top-up payments for specialised services.
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Documents relating to the 2016/17 tariff have been added.
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Added the 'National tariff payment system 2015/16: a consultation notice'. This contains proposals for the 2015/16 national tariff payment system, as agreed by Monitor and NHS England.
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Added link to Monitor's new blog post on the national tariff.
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Added a new independent research paper - 'The Costs of Specialised Care' - to related resources.
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'Estimating NHS and social care spend: a tool for commissioners' has been added to the collection.
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Added the NHS National Tariff Payment System 2015/16: engagement documents
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First published.