Correspondence

FT Bulletin 18 November 2015

Published 18 November 2015

Applies to England

1. For action

1.1 What do you think of the first national whistleblowing policy?

We’re consulting, along with the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) and NHS England, on the first national whistleblowing policy. The policy is aimed at helping to improve services for patients and the working environment for staff across the health sector and follows Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up Review and the subsequent recommendations for the sector.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on our proposed policy as we work together to encourage a culture where raising issues at work becomes normal practice and where concerns are taken seriously, and investigated properly.

We recognise that some NHS organisations already have good policies supporting staff to raise concerns, but overall the standard is variable; having a single national policy should ensure a level of consistency across the NHS.

The comments we receive will help inform the final policy so please share this with your staff including local guardians, lead clinicians and non-executive directors (NEDs), who are identified as having an important role to play, as well as your patients.

You can respond using our online form by 5pm on Friday 8 January 2016.

1.2 Mental health services in the NHS: just one more day to comment on our payment proposals

We, along with NHS England, are considering whether commissioners and providers of adult and older people’s mental healthcare should be required to adopt one of the following payment approaches in 2016/17:

• a payment approach based on year of care or episode of treatment
• a payment approach based on capitation

Your responses to the proposed changes will help inform proposals for the local payment rules in the statutory consultation on the 2016/17 national tariff, which we will publish in early 2016.

You can respond using our online form or by emailing feedback to [email protected], by 5pm on Thursday 19 November.

1.3 Help shape the minimum requirements for costing software – consultation closes soon

We’re keen to hear the views of finance directors on our draft minimum requirements for the costing software used by providers for the costing of NHS services.

This consultation is part of our costing transformation programme which we set up to achieve a step change in the quality of cost information in the NHS, and to help improve the quality and outcomes of NHS-funded patient care.

We’ll consider all of your responses before publishing revised minimum software requirements in March 2016.

You can respond using our online form by 5pm on Friday 27 November.

If you would also like to receive our costing newsletter, you can sign up by emailing [email protected].

1.4 Quality reports assurance: selecting your local indicator for 2015/16

In December we’ll publish guidance on how to get external assurance on aspects of your 2015/16 quality reports, including quality indicators that we’ve specified, and a local indicator.

As in previous years the local indicator is:

• chosen by your foundation trust’s council of governors
• presented in the quality report
• subject to local assurance

The accounting firm does not provide an assurance opinion on the local indicator, but will report privately to your foundation trust and us on its findings in testing the data to support the indicator. This is an important process through which your governors can obtain independent assurance.

Please ensure your governors are aware of their responsibility to select this local indicator and to communicate it to your auditor in good time to allow the planning, assurance work and reporting to be completed by 27 May 2016.

1.5 New bank accounts for all health bodies: is your organisation ready?

We previously advised you that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will soon provide all Government Banking Service (GBS) bank accounts for foundation trusts and all other bodies in the health service. These accounts will continue to be used to move funding/intra payments around the health system.

Please check with your own transition lead to ensure the right steps are being taken (in line with draft ‘readiness certificate’ shared by GBS on 22 October) so that you can make and receive payments once this service is live.

If you are unsure who your transitional lead is or you have any other questions, then please contact [email protected] or call 03000 585 126.

2. For information

2.1 Update on operational planning timetable for 2016/17

At present our expectation is that all providers will be required to submit a full draft 2016/17 operational plan in early February 2016 before submitting a final version in early April 2016.

We’ll publish a full and final timetable in the planning guidance in December alongside the planning templates and we recommend that you start preparing your governance processes in light of the expected milestones above.

2.2 Specialised services top-up proposals

We’re working to reform the payment system so that it works better for patients and the NHS. As part of this, we’ve published our specialised services top-up proposals which should make the payment system more accurate, transparent and flexible while also helping to realise the aims of the Five Year Forward View.

These proposals will see more services eligible for a top-up and an increase in the total value of top-ups. Please see annex 1 on page 15 for our preliminary impact assessment.

We, along with NHS England, will make a final proposal on top-ups for specialised services in the statutory consultation notice on the 2016/17 national tariff, due in early 2016.

This document is for information, and if you have comments on the proposals please email [email protected].

3. Events

New events

3.1 National cancer breach allocation summit

London:

Thursday, 10 December 2015

Who is it for?

Foundation trust and NHS trust clinical leads and operational leads.

Why attend?

Monitor, in partnership with the NHS TDA and NHS England, is holding a free event on the national cancer breach allocation.

The National Cancer Waiting Times Delivery Group agreed that a new approach to breach allocation should be developed. This event has been organised to support the development of a national cancer breach allocation policy.

Book your place now.

3.2 Chief operating officer development events

• London: Wednesday, 9 December
• Leeds: Monday, 25 January

Who are they for?

Foundation trust and NHS trust chief operating officers (COOs).

Why attend?

Come along to the first development event for COOs, jointly hosted by Monitor and NHS TDA.

On the day, find out more about:

• career development and progression to chief executive
• collective leadership strategies for improving organisational change
• meeting the challenges of the current strategic and operational environment

These are the first in a series of events we are seeking to host in 2016.

Find out more and book your place now.

3.3 Introduction for new foundation trust and NHS trust medical directors

London:

Wednesday, 16 December

Who is it for?

New foundation trust and NHS trust medical directors.

Why attend?

Come along to this workshop which brings together foundation trust and NHS trust medical directors who have taken up positions within the last 12 months.

Monitor and NHS TDA are holding this workshop to support you in this demanding role both now and in the future.

Find out more and book your place now.

3.4 NEDtalk seminars - events for foundation trust and NHS trust non-executive directors

Monitor’s offices, Waterloo, London

January – March 2016

Who are they for?

NEDs of foundation trusts and NHS trusts.

Why attend?

Earlier this year, nearly 500 NEDs of foundation trusts and NHS trusts took the time to complete our survey and the results showed that many of you wanted to share your knowledge and experiences from within and outside the NHS with fellow NEDs, so we’ve designed 3 sessions based on the areas that you’re interested in.

• 26 January – 9.30am to 1pm – Finance and turnaround
• 23 February – 9.30am to 1pm – Culture and workforce
• 3 March – 1.30pm to 5pm – Strategic planning and business development

The seminars will be small and informal, and we’ll encourage you to have frank and open conversations. You’ll hear from several NEDs who will share their experiences and reflections and there will be time for questions, discussion and networking.

Registration is first come, first served. As the events are small in size, please can only 2 NEDs from each foundation trust and NHS trust apply to attend initially.

Find out more and book your place now.

3.5 The spending review and the NHS: a policy briefing and discussion

Birmingham:

Monday, 30 November

Who is it for?

Chairs, chief executives and finance directors of NHS and foundation trusts, and clinical commissioning groups.

Why attend?

Join Adam Sewell-Jones and Kiran Chauhan from our Provider Sustainability team at this discussion on the financial challenge facing the NHS and social care, and prospects for 2016 and beyond.

Anita Charlesworth, Chief Economist at the Health Foundation, is the keynote speaker alongside Professor Judith Smith of the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham, and Professor Kieran Walshe of Manchester Business School.

This free event is hosted by Manchester Business School and the Health Services Management Centre and supported by Monitor.

Book your place by emailing [email protected].

Other events coming up

Event name	Event details	Who is it for?	Why attend?	How can I sign up?
Optimising referral to treatment (RTT) pathways for planned care in the North of England	Leicester - Thursday 19 November 2015; Bolton - Friday 20 November 2015; Cambridge - Thursday 26 November 2015	Commissioners, providers and members of clinical networks in the North of England.	Find out more about the delivery of RTT pathways for improved patient experience and outcomes.	Book now for 20 November. Email [email protected] to book for 19 and 26 November.
Strategy in practice workshop	Wednesday 2 December 2015	NHS foundation trust and NHS trust strategy leads, and anyone with an interest in developing strategy.	Come along to find out more about the current knowledge, tools and resources available to help you lead the strategic planning process and to develop a robust plan for your organisation.	Book your place now.
Securing competition clearance for NHS hospital mergers	London - Monday 23 November 2015	Senior leaders of foundation and NHS trusts, including chairs, chief executives, non-executive directors and strategy directors.	Join this discussion on lessons learnt from the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to clear the planned merger between Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.	Book your place now.

4. Webinars

4.1 Improving payment for mental health services

The Five Year Forward View identified a number of new care models for NHS services. The vision also recognised that the way we provide and pay for mental health services needs to change.

We’re holding 2 webinars on this subject for the following roles within commissioners and providers of mental health services:

• finance directors, managers and others
• mental health leads
• commissioning and contracting leads
• analytical leads

Mental health payments: vision and approaches

Wednesday, 2 December, 12.30pm to 1.30pm

Why join?

Hear about the overall vision for mental health payment in the future, and outlines of the different payment approaches of capitation, and year of care/episode of treatment.

Mental health payments: implementing the new approaches

Friday, 4 December, 12.30pm to 1.30pm

Why join?

This second webinar will go into further detail about the 2 payment options, including how to adopt these approaches, potential issues, and pros and cons for each approach.

Both webinars will include time for you to ask questions of Monitor and NHS England staff.

Book now for 2 December.

Book now for 4 December.

5. External updates

5.1 From NHS Employers: flu fighter workshop for invited acute foundation trusts

NHS Employers has been holding workshops as part of the flu fighter support series, designed to enable invited foundation trusts to share good practice and learning. They still have availability for the workshop for acute foundation trusts on Thursday 19 November, 10am until 4pm in London.

If your organisation received an invitation from NHS Employers we would encourage someone from your organisation to attend and engage with the flu fighter support project.

Helen Bogan from NHS Employers recently gave a presentation on the 7 elements of good practice for a successful flu fighter campaign. You can find out more about these on the NHS Employers website.

Please email [email protected] to book your place and confirm attendance.

5.2 From the Department of Health (DH): hospital education: a guide for health services

DH has published a new guide for providers of health services explaining the responsibilities for teaching children in hospital when illness stops them attending school. It includes a section explaining the relationship between NHS trusts and foundation trusts, and education providers.

5.3 From the Health Foundation: continuous improvement of patient safety

The Health Foundation has published a new report that outlines their work supporting front-line teams in different settings, developing and testing approaches to making care safer. The report has some practical tips for colleagues working in both front line and executive roles.

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.

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6.4 Publications

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