Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) training and (b) support on specialised services is provided for staff working in integrated care boards in the (i) East of England, (ii) Midlands and (iii) North West following full delegation of commissioning in 2024-25.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The total spend on commissioning specialised services was £22.7 billion in 2022/23 and £25 billion in 2023/24. As formal delegation of specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) begins from 1 April 2024, all spend on commissioning these services in previous years has been the responsibility of NHS England, and not the ICBs. For 2024/25, NHS England is delegating £5.3 billion of commissioning resource to ICBs in the three regions, where delegation will begin from April 2024. This figure excludes high-cost drugs and devices spend.
The nine joint committee arrangements arose from a robust process, which included a readiness assessment, the Pre-Delegation Assessment Framework, made between the ICBs and NHS England regional teams, followed by a National Moderation Panel, and final decision taken by the NHS England Board. The NHS England Board papers for February 2023, December 2023, and March 2024 are available, respectively, at the following links:
The process concluded that a transitional year of joint commissioning would offer the most secure and stable transition towards delegation. There is a comprehensive programme structure in place to support the ICBs in the four regions that are working towards delegation in April 2025, to support them in being ready to take on the responsibilities. NHS England is continuing to work alongside ICBs to ensure that delegation agreements are in place, including ensuring appropriate collaborative arrangements are developed to support ICB commissioning of specialised services. These arrangements will be monitored by NHS England through its assurance processes for specialised services.
A webinar series for commissioning staff, including colleagues in ICBs, was delivered in 2023 across different aspects of specialised services, and there are additional webinars planned in 2024. There has been, and will continue to be, local engagement between regional commissioning teams and ICB teams, as the future operating model is co-developed. A suite of support materials has been shared with teams and continues to be updated. As examples, these include: Commissioning Change Management Business Rules; Finance and Accounting Standard Operating Procedure; and the Contracting Standard Operating Procedure.
NHS England develops services specification and clinical policies through its Clinical Reference Groups. There are 250 published service specifications which include clinical pathway, quality, and other relevant standards, which are specific to the clinical service. Regional commissioning teams, overseen by the statutory joint committees, are responsible for implementing the specifications in their commissioning of services, along with assessing compliance against national standards. NHS England has developed Specialised Services Quality Dashboards alongside service specifications, which provide additional data to monitor the quality of services.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the proportion of specialised services that met national standards in the (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 financial years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The total spend on commissioning specialised services was £22.7 billion in 2022/23 and £25 billion in 2023/24. As formal delegation of specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) begins from 1 April 2024, all spend on commissioning these services in previous years has been the responsibility of NHS England, and not the ICBs. For 2024/25, NHS England is delegating £5.3 billion of commissioning resource to ICBs in the three regions, where delegation will begin from April 2024. This figure excludes high-cost drugs and devices spend.
The nine joint committee arrangements arose from a robust process, which included a readiness assessment, the Pre-Delegation Assessment Framework, made between the ICBs and NHS England regional teams, followed by a National Moderation Panel, and final decision taken by the NHS England Board. The NHS England Board papers for February 2023, December 2023, and March 2024 are available, respectively, at the following links:
The process concluded that a transitional year of joint commissioning would offer the most secure and stable transition towards delegation. There is a comprehensive programme structure in place to support the ICBs in the four regions that are working towards delegation in April 2025, to support them in being ready to take on the responsibilities. NHS England is continuing to work alongside ICBs to ensure that delegation agreements are in place, including ensuring appropriate collaborative arrangements are developed to support ICB commissioning of specialised services. These arrangements will be monitored by NHS England through its assurance processes for specialised services.
A webinar series for commissioning staff, including colleagues in ICBs, was delivered in 2023 across different aspects of specialised services, and there are additional webinars planned in 2024. There has been, and will continue to be, local engagement between regional commissioning teams and ICB teams, as the future operating model is co-developed. A suite of support materials has been shared with teams and continues to be updated. As examples, these include: Commissioning Change Management Business Rules; Finance and Accounting Standard Operating Procedure; and the Contracting Standard Operating Procedure.
NHS England develops services specification and clinical policies through its Clinical Reference Groups. There are 250 published service specifications which include clinical pathway, quality, and other relevant standards, which are specific to the clinical service. Regional commissioning teams, overseen by the statutory joint committees, are responsible for implementing the specifications in their commissioning of services, along with assessing compliance against national standards. NHS England has developed Specialised Services Quality Dashboards alongside service specifications, which provide additional data to monitor the quality of services.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the cost to (a) integrated care boards and (b) NHS England of commissioning specialised services in the (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24 financial years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The total spend on commissioning specialised services was £22.7 billion in 2022/23 and £25 billion in 2023/24. As formal delegation of specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) begins from 1 April 2024, all spend on commissioning these services in previous years has been the responsibility of NHS England, and not the ICBs. For 2024/25, NHS England is delegating £5.3 billion of commissioning resource to ICBs in the three regions, where delegation will begin from April 2024. This figure excludes high-cost drugs and devices spend.
The nine joint committee arrangements arose from a robust process, which included a readiness assessment, the Pre-Delegation Assessment Framework, made between the ICBs and NHS England regional teams, followed by a National Moderation Panel, and final decision taken by the NHS England Board. The NHS England Board papers for February 2023, December 2023, and March 2024 are available, respectively, at the following links:
The process concluded that a transitional year of joint commissioning would offer the most secure and stable transition towards delegation. There is a comprehensive programme structure in place to support the ICBs in the four regions that are working towards delegation in April 2025, to support them in being ready to take on the responsibilities. NHS England is continuing to work alongside ICBs to ensure that delegation agreements are in place, including ensuring appropriate collaborative arrangements are developed to support ICB commissioning of specialised services. These arrangements will be monitored by NHS England through its assurance processes for specialised services.
A webinar series for commissioning staff, including colleagues in ICBs, was delivered in 2023 across different aspects of specialised services, and there are additional webinars planned in 2024. There has been, and will continue to be, local engagement between regional commissioning teams and ICB teams, as the future operating model is co-developed. A suite of support materials has been shared with teams and continues to be updated. As examples, these include: Commissioning Change Management Business Rules; Finance and Accounting Standard Operating Procedure; and the Contracting Standard Operating Procedure.
NHS England develops services specification and clinical policies through its Clinical Reference Groups. There are 250 published service specifications which include clinical pathway, quality, and other relevant standards, which are specific to the clinical service. Regional commissioning teams, overseen by the statutory joint committees, are responsible for implementing the specifications in their commissioning of services, along with assessing compliance against national standards. NHS England has developed Specialised Services Quality Dashboards alongside service specifications, which provide additional data to monitor the quality of services.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the nine statutory joint committees formed between integrated care boards and NHS England regions on specialised commissioning.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The total spend on commissioning specialised services was £22.7 billion in 2022/23 and £25 billion in 2023/24. As formal delegation of specialised services to integrated care boards (ICBs) begins from 1 April 2024, all spend on commissioning these services in previous years has been the responsibility of NHS England, and not the ICBs. For 2024/25, NHS England is delegating £5.3 billion of commissioning resource to ICBs in the three regions, where delegation will begin from April 2024. This figure excludes high-cost drugs and devices spend.
The nine joint committee arrangements arose from a robust process, which included a readiness assessment, the Pre-Delegation Assessment Framework, made between the ICBs and NHS England regional teams, followed by a National Moderation Panel, and final decision taken by the NHS England Board. The NHS England Board papers for February 2023, December 2023, and March 2024 are available, respectively, at the following links:
The process concluded that a transitional year of joint commissioning would offer the most secure and stable transition towards delegation. There is a comprehensive programme structure in place to support the ICBs in the four regions that are working towards delegation in April 2025, to support them in being ready to take on the responsibilities. NHS England is continuing to work alongside ICBs to ensure that delegation agreements are in place, including ensuring appropriate collaborative arrangements are developed to support ICB commissioning of specialised services. These arrangements will be monitored by NHS England through its assurance processes for specialised services.
A webinar series for commissioning staff, including colleagues in ICBs, was delivered in 2023 across different aspects of specialised services, and there are additional webinars planned in 2024. There has been, and will continue to be, local engagement between regional commissioning teams and ICB teams, as the future operating model is co-developed. A suite of support materials has been shared with teams and continues to be updated. As examples, these include: Commissioning Change Management Business Rules; Finance and Accounting Standard Operating Procedure; and the Contracting Standard Operating Procedure.
NHS England develops services specification and clinical policies through its Clinical Reference Groups. There are 250 published service specifications which include clinical pathway, quality, and other relevant standards, which are specific to the clinical service. Regional commissioning teams, overseen by the statutory joint committees, are responsible for implementing the specifications in their commissioning of services, along with assessing compliance against national standards. NHS England has developed Specialised Services Quality Dashboards alongside service specifications, which provide additional data to monitor the quality of services.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contract awarded by her Department to PA Consulting Services Limited on 8 January 2024 under procurement reference CF-2104, whether the supplier has delivered a pilot build of a replacement Content Management System for the National Institute for Health and Care Research websites.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
PA Consulting have undertaken the foundational work required to replace the Content Management System for the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The work is continuing within the existing contract and will be finalised as part of a new contract, which will be established when the current contract concludes. The new contract will be established pursuant to the Department’s C249854 Digital Strategy Services invitation to tender.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contract awarded by her Department to KPMG LLP on 14 March 2023 under procurement reference CF-2270, whether the initial trust pipeline and Statement of Work delivery units have been identified for the implementation of the Federated Data Platform.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
NHS England ran a framework competition for technical support and implementation services, to support in delivering transformational changes across NHS England, integrated care boards, and NHS trusts in England. This included building capability for the Federated Data Platform (FDP), and enhancing wider data services functions, platforms, and integrating services. This contract was awarded to KPMG LLP.
The FDP Programme Team includes resources provided via this contract, in addition to substantive NHS England employees. NHS England has confirmed that a statement of work, along with an initial trust pipeline, have been identified. The team is continuing to engage with organisations that have piloted FDP products, and organisations in the pipeline, to firm up the rollout
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contract awarded by her Department to KPMG LLP on 14 March 2023 under procurement reference CF-2270, whether a programme team has been established by the supplier for the contracted work.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
NHS England ran a framework competition for technical support and implementation services, to support in delivering transformational changes across NHS England, integrated care boards, and NHS trusts in England. This included building capability for the Federated Data Platform (FDP), and enhancing wider data services functions, platforms, and integrating services. This contract was awarded to KPMG LLP.
The FDP Programme Team includes resources provided via this contract, in addition to substantive NHS England employees. NHS England has confirmed that a statement of work, along with an initial trust pipeline, have been identified. The team is continuing to engage with organisations that have piloted FDP products, and organisations in the pipeline, to firm up the rollout
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for publication of the implementation plan for the Medical Technology Strategy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Government published the Medical Technology Strategy: One Year On policy paper on 9 April 2024. This paper outlines key achievements since the publication of the inaugural Medical Technology Strategy in February 2023. It also outlines our plan to streamline and integrate the innovation pathway, detailing next steps and milestones.
The paper reiterated the Government’s commitment to collaborate with key stakeholders to deliver our plan, including industry, patient groups, clinicians and the wider health and social care system.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to publish the informative learning and feedback from the Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) pilot is due to run until March 2025. We are conducting internal and external reviews to seek feedback and learning from the pilot. This will provide comprehensive insights and knowledge to inform the feasibility and development of a future IDAP pathway. The outcome of these reviews will inform a wider evaluation of the IDAP. Further details of the future IDAP pathway, and the outcome of the pilot, will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the roll out of the Government's Projects Academy for staff working on the New Hospitals Programme.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
As is usual for major Government programmes, the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) is using both internal and external resources to ensure the right capabilities and specialist skills are in place to deliver the programme. The NHP is procuring its long-term delivery partner, which will provide flexible external expertise in technical design, commercial functions, programme delivery capabilities, and other areas.
The NHP is developing a Knowledge and Skills Transfer (KST) Strategy to embed the self-sustaining knowledge and skills required to deliver the programme, ensuring that as the balance within the team changes, the appropriate transfers take place.
The NHP continues to support its employees' development and regularly reviews the Learning and Development offer available across the programme, to support staff in the successful delivery of the programme. This includes supporting staff within the NHP, and Project Directors from NHS England trusts, to take advantage of the Government’s Project Academy by participating in the Project Leadership Programme and Major Projects Leadership Academy.