Electronic monitoring – a progress update
This report sets out the NAO’s assessment of the delivery of the electronic monitoring (‘tagging’) transformation programme.
8 Jun 2022
Government has commissioned many public services from commercial, charity or other public sector organisations as a way to meet the growing need for services, especially when budgets are getting smaller. This commissioning is happening in many sectors – especially health, local government, welfare, education, culture, media and sport, defence and justice. Successful commissions can result in more productive and efficient service delivery.
The growth in commissioning over recent years has created complex and long-term relationships. To ensure value for money, those organisations that are commissioning services must be clear about what they want to be delivered, they should have an open mind about solutions, be able to evaluate effectively and work well with the organisations delivering the service to ensure users' needs are met. They also need to know when and how to decommission services if they are no longer needed, or if needs, technology or approaches change.
Key NAO publications:
This report sets out the NAO’s assessment of the delivery of the electronic monitoring (‘tagging’) transformation programme.
This report examines the current care market and the Department of Health & Social Care’s role in overseeing it.
This report examines whether the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund is likely to deliver value for money.
This report examines the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s management of the renegotiated contract in place with Cavendish Fluor Partnership.
This sets out the role, costs and performance of CCGs, the changing commissioning landscape and the future of CCGs.
Government does not know how many people in prison have a mental illness, how much it is spending on mental health in prisons or whether it is achieving its objectives. It is therefore hard to see how Government can be achieving value for money in its efforts to improve the mental health and well being of prisoners. In 2016 there were 40,161 incidents of self-harm in prisons and 120 self-inflicted deaths.
Challenging objectives for improving access to general practice have been set by the Department and NHS England, but a more coordinated approach and stronger incentives are needed.
In December 2015 a five year contract, worth around £800 million between UnitingCare Partnership and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group collapsed after only 8 months because it ran into financial difficulties. NAO examined the design, procurement and operation of the contract and the events that led to its termination.
This overview of the NAO’s work on the government’s management of contracting examines subjects including the government’s commercial capability, accountability and transparency, and its management of contracted-out service delivery.
Against a backdrop of increasing pressure on NHS finances, NHS England has not controlled the rising cost of specialised services.