Correspondence

FT Bulletin 1 July 2015

Published 1 July 2015

Applies to England

1. For action

1.1 Guidance on the integrated care licence condition

Our guidance on the integrated care licence condition explains:

• what is expected of licensed providers of NHS-funded services
• how to avoid breaching the condition
• when we may need to take enforcement action

Please familiarise yourself with the guidance and read alongside our enforcement guidance so that you know how to comply with the licence condition. For more information or to ask any questions you can email [email protected].

2. For information

2.1 Adopting best practice in spending on agency staff: requirements will come into force later in the summer

We are continuing to develop, working with the NHS Trust Development Authority and Department of Health (DH), our proposals for:

• applying a ceiling on agency spend by provider
• applying a cap on maximum rates of agency pay for different types of staff
• using agency frameworks

We will be discussing our proposals with you over the coming weeks, with a view to these arrangements coming into force between July and September as planned, but not on 1 July as some previous communications have stated.

We will not implement our proposals until we are confident that there is an evidence base to support the limits set, particularly where there may be regional variations.

Support to help you manage agency spend

We are in the process of building our own capability to support foundation trusts to manage agency spend. This will include action planning to help you deliver savings, and a diagnostic tool which you can use to identify any potential areas for improvement in how you are managing your staffing.

This support is currently being trialled with 3 foundation trusts and, if successful, will be available more widely after that. If you are interested in finding out how the team can help your trust, please email [email protected].

We will send you further information on our proposals and support activities as soon as possible. In the meantime, we encourage you to manage your agency spend in line with the initial guidance.

2.2 Our latest assumptions for provider inflation

Please familiarise yourself with our latest assumptions for provider inflation for the period 2015/16 to 2019/20.

We recommend that you use these assumptions when undertaking planning and forecasting activities, while also taking account of local circumstances, opportunities and pressures. These numbers replace the assumptions that we mention in our Guidance for the Annual Planning Review 2014/15.

2.3 New blog on choice and competition

Our Co-operation and Competition Directorate has launched a new blog to share informal advice on the role of choice and competition in the NHS, including in the provision of services, for example elective care.

Follow the blog for updates and to post any questions to the team.

3. Events

3.1 New models of acute care engagement events

7 July (London) and 8 July (Leeds), 11am – 3pm

Who are these for?

Executive staff in both clinical and non-clinical roles.

Why attend?

These events will give you the chance to discuss:

• potential patient benefits resulting from new forms of acute care collaboration
• enablers and barriers to achieving those benefits
• the application and selection process for this care model and what the programme team will be looking for in selecting vanguards

For more information and to book your place, please email: [email protected] with your name, job title and organisation.

3.2 Are you going to the HFMA Annual Foundation Trust Conference? Come and visit us.

2-3 July 2015, Birmingham

Who is it for?

Directors of finance and senior finance staff.

Why attend?

If you are coming along to this conference, you will hear from David Bennett and other Monitor staff about both the financial challenges and the potential solutions.

Other topics that we will cover include:

• the role of regulation
• asset management
• mental health costing and pricing
• mergers and transactions
• the cost of moving care from acute to community settings
• culture and leadership

Book your place on the HFMA website.

4. External updates

4.1 Are you using the NHS number in all clinical correspondence?

A reminder that the NHS Standard Contract requires all NHS providers to use the NHS number as the primary identifier in all clinical correspondence (paper or electronic). You must also use the NHS number to identify all activity relating to a patient or service user.

Further guidance is available on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website.

Please ensure that you and your organisation comply with this requirement.

4.2 NHS Elect: Do you want to be involved in the next ambulatory emergency care (AEC) programme?

NHS Elect hosts the national ambulatory emergency care programme, designed to transform the delivery of urgent care by:

• offering solutions to manage emergency demand
• improving outcomes
• reducing waits

Your organisation can join this 12 month programme, alongside other health communities, to access intensive support to deliver ambulatory emergency care. NHS Elect will then share the learning from the AEC at national events.

The next programme starts on 23 September 2015. To secure a place, email [email protected] by 31 July 2015.

4.3 NHS Protect: what you need to know about payroll fraud

NHS Protect, the national body leading on work to protect NHS staff and resources from crime, has developed guidance on payroll fraud. Payroll fraud poses a risk to all organisations and the guidance provides information on different types of fraud, and advice on how to deal with them effectively.

For further information or to obtain a copy of the guidance, please contact your trust local counter fraud specialist or email [email protected]. You can use their secure and confidential service to report a suspected fraud online or by calling 0800 028 40 60.

4.4 Update from the Secretary of State for Health

Read the latest update about the new deal for GPs.

5. Get in touch

5.1 Our latest job opportunities

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

5.2 Queries or feedback

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

5.3 News alerts

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

5.4 Publications

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