Health and social care integration
The Better Care Fund has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or hospital activity.
8 Feb 2017
The Better Care Fund has not achieved the expected value for money, in terms of savings, outcomes for patients or hospital activity.
Demand for ambulance services continues to grow rapidly, but services are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with rising demand.
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.
This Departmental Overview looks at the Department of Health (DH) and summarises its performance during the year ended March 2016, together with our recent reports on it.
The financial performance of NHS bodies worsened considerably in 2015-16, according to the National Audit Office.
The amount recovered has increased but NHS hospital trusts remain some way from complying in full with the requirement to recover the cost of treating overseas visitors.
The Department of Health and its partners are still some way from implementing a plan to put the NHS’ finances in England on a sustainable footing, according to three reports issued by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
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.
It is important that the services for vulnerable people at the Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre are delivered ‘right first time’ and this did not happen here. Steps are now being taken to address the problems but 35% of the recommendations from Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ 2015 inspection have not yet been implemented.
There are currently far too many older people in hospitals who do not need to be there. Without radical action, this problem will worsen and add further financial strain to the NHS and local government.