Correspondence

NHS foundation trust bulletin: 17 February 2016

Published 17 February 2016

Applies to England

1. For action

1.1 What do you think of the new tariff proposals?

We’ve launched the consultation for the 2016/17 national tariff with NHS England which aims to give providers the space to restore financial balance, and supports you to work with commissioners to make longer term plans for your local health economies.

We’re interested in hearing your views on the following areas:

  • the approach to setting prices for 2016/17
  • the impact of the proposed changes to the national tariff
  • the proposals for local payment arrangements
  • the approach to enforcing the national tariff

We welcome your responses and encourage you to comment on our proposals. To help you plan your response, an overview of consultation questions is available to download.

Thanks to those of you who have given your time to help shape our proposals. Your feedback has allowed us to get to this point.

Please respond by 23.59 on Thursday 10 March 2016.

1.2 Agency controls: please submit your weekly data returns by midday every Wednesday

Alongside the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA), we’ve now implemented the following 3 agency controls:

  • frameworks for procuring nursing staff
  • nurse expenditure ceilings
  • price caps

All NHS trusts and foundation trusts should submit a weekly data return so we can monitor the impact of the framework and price cap controls. Your data returns are due by midday every Wednesday and should be for one week in arrears (eg your data for the week commencing 8 February 2016 would be due by midday on Wednesday 17 February 2016).

Please ensure that you have adequate governance processes to provide accurate returns, authorised by a member of your board, every week. The agency team will follow up on missing or late returns to ensure that they can accurately monitor implementation of the controls.

If you have any queries or concerns, please email agencyrules@monitor.gov.uk.

1.3 Full implementation of the junior doctors’ contract: an update from Jim Mackey

Following on from the Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt’s decision regarding the junior doctors’ contract, Jim Mackey wrote to NHS trust and foundation trust chairs and chief executives about the importance of working together to help implement the contract consistently. Ian Cumming, Chief Executive of Health Education England, also wrote to chief executives of trusts and foundation trusts about the importance of having a single, national approach for implementing the contract.

NHS Employers’ detailed briefing on the contract should help you to communicate the offer to colleagues, provide reassurance, and answer any questions you may have.

1.4 Board secretaries: just 2 more days to share your views on quality reports and governance reviews

Help inform the requirements for the 2015/16 quality reports

We’re asking board secretaries and quality governance teams to tell us what you think of our proposed content and assurance requirements for the 2015/16 foundation trust quality reports.

We’ll consider all of your responses when we’re finalising the requirements for 2015/16, and your feedback will help inform 2016/17 onwards.

Please share your feedback by 5pm Friday 19 February.

Help shape the governance review process described in the well-led framework

The majority of you will be due to complete your next governance review under the well-led framework before 30 April 2017. To help us understand how we can improve the process, please can all foundation trusts complete our survey (regardless of whether you have already undertaken a well-led governance review) by 5pm Friday 19 February.

If you have any queries, please email governance@monitor.gov.uk.

2. For information

2.1 Supporting you to deliver high quality healthcare

We’ve published this roadmap setting out the key priorities for delivering high quality healthcare this year and beyond. The roadmap:

  • outlines the challenges and changes ahead
  • describes a coherent set of activities for NHS providers in the coming years
  • shows how providers across the country are beginning to deliver these
  • outlines the support providers can expect from NHS Improvement

Our conference with NHS Providers last week was a great opportunity for us to talk about the roadmap and NHS Improvement’s role. Thanks to everyone who was able to attend. We’ve made the video shown at the conference with providers’ success stories and Jim Mackey’s slides available for you to view.

Providers success stories.

2.2 Evidence from NHS Improvement on clinical staff shortages

We’ve published the findings of our analysis of clinical staff shortages in acute hospitals, focusing on adult nurses and consultants. We’ve also set out the actions NHS Improvement is taking to help support providers facing workforce shortages.

2.3 Finance directors and costing practitioners: read our updates to the approved costing guidance

We’ve updated our approved costing guidance, which sets out the costing approach that we encourage providers of NHS services to adopt.

We recommend that costing practitioners review and update their costing processes and costing systems in line with the updated guidance, and HFMA’s 2016/17 clinical costing standards for acute and mental health services.

3. Events

Event name Event details Who is it for? Why attend? How can I sign up?
Medical director engagement and improvement events Birmingham, Monday 22 February; London, Thursday 3 March Medical directors from NHS and foundation trusts Discuss national priorities and common challenges, with a focused session on the national planning guidance. Find out more and book your place.
Whistleblowing employment support scheme workshop London, Tuesday 23 February HR directors and local guardians This workshop is being run by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS TDA for employers, regulators and whistleblowers. The day will focus on ways to help whistleblowers return to work where they have lost their jobs as a result of raising a concern. Register your interest by emailing alison.kirk5@nhs.net.
NHS Improvement induction day for provider chairs and chief executives London, Wednesday 1 June Newly appointed chairs and chief executives of NHS trusts and foundation trusts, who are looking for an overview of NHS Improvement, its functions and regulatory activities Come along to our free event and find out about the following areas that will help you in your role: the role of NHS Improvement; the legal framework; the regulatory framework; quality and quality governance; trust governance; and current issues in the NHS. Email mel.baldwin@monitor.gov.uk to enquire about a place.

4. Webinars

4.1 Reducing use of agency staff: effective rostering

Friday 19 February 2016

12.30-1.30pm

Who is it for?

  • matrons
  • ward leaders or equivalent
  • those writing and/or agreeing rosters

Why join?

Lyn McIntyre, senior nurse adviser on workforce efficiency at the Department of Health (DH), kindly joins us for this webinar which is part of a series to support you in reducing spend on agency staff. During this practical webinar we will:

  • look at the findings of the ‘Carter review’ around rostering
  • discuss the principles of efficient rostering, including e-rostering
  • demonstrate how efficient rostering can help to reduce agency spend and staff turnover, and can increase staff satisfaction

There will also be a chance to ask questions.

Register for this webinar now.

4.2 Capitated payment: context and vision

Wednesday 9 March 2016

1.30-2.30pm

Who is it for?

  • NHS trust and foundation trust finance directors and managers
  • commissioning and contracting leads
  • analytical leads

Why join?

This is the first in a series of joint webinars from NHS Improvement and NHS England on specific design stages in a capitated payment. These webinars aim to support providers and commissioners to make progress in developing and implementing a capitated payment or a whole population budget. Colleagues from the sector will be sharing their work and you can expect to hear more about the following areas:

  • the context for payment development
  • capitated payments and whole population budgets
  • the building blocks needed for making progress with payment development
  • transition and shadow testing

There will also be a chance to ask questions.

Register for this webinar now.

5. External updates

5.1 Reminder from DH: new survey of NHS staff

DH would like to remind you that they have commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct its 3rd survey on NHS staff’s awareness of, and attitudes towards, national policies affecting the NHS and you may be contacted to take part over the next few weeks. Participation is entirely voluntary – if you choose to take part, your feedback will be used to provide an up to date evaluation of an ongoing programme of work at DH and inform future policy developments.

If you have any queries please email DH-Survey@ipsos.com.

6. Get in touch

6.1 Our latest job opportunities

For more information or to apply, please visit our recruitment website joinmonitor.com.

6.2 Queries or feedback

If you have any queries about the information in this bulletin, please contact your relationship manager at Monitor.

6.3 News alerts

You can subscribe to Monitor’s news update service and receive relevant information direct to your inbox.

6.4 Publications

All of our publications are available to download from our publications section.