Hospitals are set to have their finances scrutinised on a quarterly basis under a new framework introduced to the NHS this autumn.
Under the terms of the NHS Performance Framework, financial results of hospitals that have not yet achieved ‘foundation’ status will be published every quarter. The move is part of a further attempt by the Department of Health to make the NHS more efficient.
Results will appear in a report called The Quarter, the first edition of which was published on September 7. Organisations identified as failing to comply with the new regime face increasingly stringent penalties, such as replacement of chief executive officers and other principal staff.
Nigel Edwards, NHS Confederations policy director, told Public Finance he was concerned about heavy-handed interventions from the Department of Health. ‘What we are hoping for is a sufficiently appropriate response, which is helpful, rather than previous experiences with a more punitive approach.’
Under the terms of the NHS Performance Framework, financial results of hospitals that have not yet achieved ‘foundation’ status will be published every quarter. The move is part of a further attempt by the Department of Health to make the NHS more efficient.
Results will appear in a report called The Quarter, the first edition of which was published on September 7. Organisations identified as failing to comply with the new regime face increasingly stringent penalties, such as replacement of chief executive officers and other principal staff.
Nigel Edwards, NHS Confederations policy director, told Public Finance he was concerned about heavy-handed interventions from the Department of Health. ‘What we are hoping for is a sufficiently appropriate response, which is helpful, rather than previous experiences with a more punitive approach.’
