Author: Tim Gilling
In discussions about ‘systems’ and ‘places’, where does scrutiny and assurance fit in?
In the run up to our annual health scrutiny and assurance conference being held on 18th July at the King’s Fund, I’ve been reflecting on the important role that people with scrutiny and assurance roles can play. Earlier this year, jointly with NHS Clinical Commissioners, we published ‘Governance and Accountability for Integrated Health and Care’. […]
Health Scrutiny and Assurance Conference – programme now online and early bird tickets on sale until end of March
With the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, an expected Social Care Green Paper and the drive towards integrated services through Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships and Integrated Care Systems, health and care continues to feature as one of the most high profile policy challenges we face as a country. Tackling inequalities and improving population […]
Understanding risk, building resilience, improving performance
Using organisational insight to enhance governance and scrutiny A priceless asset of any organisation or business is insight from the workforce – the knowledge, skills and experience that people use every day to get the job done. But how many organisations or businesses make best use of that insight – to help identify risks and […]
Local scrutiny arrangements for children’s services are under the spotlight
Local scrutiny arrangements for children’s services are under the spotlight following the Children and Social Work Act 2017. The Act sets out provisions which will: Replace Local Safeguarding Children Boards with new flexible local safeguarding arrangements led by three safeguarding partners (local authorities, chief officers of police, and clinical commissioning groups), and place a duty on […]
STPs, Accountable Care Systems and local government – getting the relationship right
The latest news on the NHS health scrutiny programme Success in delivering Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) and Accountability Care Systems (ACSs) in England depends on positive local partnership working and effective scrutiny and governance. There are examples of strong relationships between the NHS and local government that have already delivered improved services – but […]
Scrutiny: the new assurance? A Good Governance Institute discussion paper
Today, people who make decisions about public services face a common challenge: how to spend taxpayers’ money effectively and efficiently in ways that meet society’s needs and ensure the best outcomes for people and communities. There is much to celebrate, great strides have been made. But significant challenges remain – and it is clear no […]
House of Commons Health Committee advocates role for local scrutiny of suicide prevention plans
In December 2016, the Health Committee published an interim report on suicide prevention in order to inform the Government’s updated suicide prevention strategy. The Government subsequently published its update to the strategy in the form of a progress report. Witnesses told the Committee’s latest inquiry that the underlying strategy is essentially sound but that the […]
Proposals for Congenital Heart Disease Services
In July 2016, NHS England published a set of proposals regarding the future commissioning of congenital heart disease (CHD) services for children and adults. They describe the actions which NHS England proposes to take in order to ensure a consistent standard of care for CHD patients across the country, for now and for the future. […]
STPs – how sustainable or transformative are they?
Tim Gilling, discusses how scrutiny should approach Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs). Last year the BBC called STPs ‘secret plans to cut services’. At the time, the Guardian was slightly more charitable describing them as ‘either radical local modernization plans or the end of the NHS as we know it’ – on reflection, maybe they […]
Sustainability and transformation (STP) plans checklist
The NHS Clinical Commissioners jointly with CfGS have developed a Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP) checklist. It is designed for the clinical commissioning group (CCG) lay members, provider non-executive directors (NEDs), councillors, local Healthwatch organisations, the voluntary sector and other key community partners. The publications provides a series of questions that can be asked locally and […]