NHS Concordat will cut red tape and inspections

23 Mar 06
NHS organisations in England were promised fewer inspections and less bureaucracy this week as more regulators signed up to an initiative designed to reduce red tape.

24 March 2006

NHS organisations in England were promised fewer inspections and less bureaucracy this week as more regulators signed up to an initiative designed to reduce red tape.

The initiative, known as the Concordat, was joined by 11 new organisations, including the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service and the General Medical Council. Twenty regulators will now minimise duplication by co-ordinating inspection visits and sharing information.

The Healthcare Commission is spearheading the Concordat and said its new annual health check had saved trusts £10m. Much of the information it uses comes from other Concordat members, allowing the commission to dispense with week-long inspections for all trusts - a feature of its predecessor, the star ratings system.

Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation - one of the new signatories - said: 'Reducing the burden of bureaucracy remains a key priority for NHS organisations.

'It is not just about improving what is counted and collected, it is also about taking a strategic oversight of regulation.'

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