NHS: Financial Tariff for 2015-16

Baroness Manzoor Excerpts

Wednesday 4th February 2015 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, yes of course the bureaucratic nature of commissioning needs to be minimised and we do all we can to achieve that. However, the need to ensure that we make a careful distinction between commissioners and providers does, I am afraid, mean that rather a lot of numerical work has to go along with that and, as is right, discussion between commissioners and providers to ensure that the system works smoothly.

[Baroness Manzoor (LD)]

My Lords, Choose and Book has been a success story for the Government. It is a hidden gem. Will this be affected by the level of tariffs that are to be offered and will patients have a real choice?

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, no, Choose and Book will not be affected, although NHS England has plans to update it to make it a much richer and more informative system.