Strategic planning advice will be offered to 11 financially challenged health economies to ensure sustainable services for patients.
Monitor, NHS England and the NHS Trust Development Authority will fund a series of projects to help groups of commissioners and providers work together to develop integrated five-year plans that address local challenges.
All NHS organisations are being urged to plan over a five-year period as part of a concerted effort to tackle the long-term financial and operational challenges facing the system.
Strategic planning advice will be offered to 11 financially challenged health economies to ensure sustainable services for patients.
Monitor, NHS England and the NHS Trust Development Authority will fund a series of projects to help groups of commissioners and providers work together to develop integrated five-year plans that address local challenges.
All NHS organisations are being urged to plan over a five-year period as part of a concerted effort to tackle the long-term financial and operational challenges facing the system.
The areas have been chosen on the basis that they will most benefit from external support in the first few weeks of the new financial year. Potential suppliers are now being invited to tender for the work.
The appointed supplier will act as a "critical friend", seeking to bring together all partners in the health economy and testing whether the organisations are undertaking their long term strategic planning in the most effective way.
Suppliers will be appointed at the end of March and will begin a programme of work lasting around 10 weeks across four workstreams:
– A diagnosis of supply and demand.
– Solutions development and options analysis.
– Plan development.
– Implementation.
NHS England’s chief financial officer, Paul Baumann said, "We are investing resources now to help organisations across these health economies to plan effectively. The health economies identified are those where we believe that this immediate support will have the greatest long-term impact, providing significant positive benefits to patients and taxpayers in the future."
