Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan and NHS Planning Guidance commitments for 2019-20, what progress his Department has made against the commitment to ensure that (a) each NHS organisation delivers its agreed financial position and (b) that the NHS budget overall is balanced during 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

The National Health Service has set out its own strategy for the next five years in the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working with local organisations and regional leaders over recent months to develop the right operational plans to deliver that strategy in 2019-20.

The NHS Long Term Plan is backed by a significant funding increase from the Department of £33.9 billion in cash terms by 2023/24. As part of the Plan, the NHS committed to meeting the Government’s financial tests, including that the NHS will deliver overall financial balance in every year, and that all NHS organisations will be in balance by 2023/24. The Plan rightly sets out that putting the NHS back onto a sustainable financial path is a key priority and is essential to allowing the NHS to deliver further improvements in care.

As part of 2019-20 planning, the vast majority of organisations have signed up to their control totals, with the number of providers expected to report a deficit reducing by more than half compared to 2018-19. We also expect overall NHS financial balance to be achieved, with further work taking place with the regions to mitigate risks in plans that emerge.

For the period beyond 2019-20, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan an Implementation Framework will be published shortly which will set out the next steps the National Health System will take to deliver the commitments and the national activity and support available to systems. The Implementation Framework will assist local health systems, who will build on the engagement already taking place across the country, in developing their strategic Long Term Plan implementation plan over the summer. NHS England and NHS Improvement will then publish a national implementation plan in the autumn.