{"value":{"id":867354,"memberId":4095,"member":null,"memberRole":"Minister of State for Health","uin":"HCWS571","dateMade":"2018-03-20T00:00:00","answeringBodyId":17,"answeringBodyName":"Department of Health and Social Care","title":"NHS Planning in 2018-19","text":"<p>In accordance with the NHS Act 2006, I have today laid before Parliament the Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2018-19. To further support the NHS to meet the challenges it faces, I am also today publishing the remit letter for NHS Improvement.</p><p>NHS England oversees the commissioning of health services in England and so has a key role in setting direction across the health and care system. The mandate sets objectives that Government expects NHS England to achieve and its budget, which now includes £2.8 billion additional funding between 2017/18 and 2019/20, taking NHS funding to over half a trillion pounds from 2015 to 2020.</p><p>Since 2016/17, we have taken a multi-year approach to the mandate, setting enduring objectives to 2020, underpinned by specific 2020 goals and annual deliverables for each financial year. This stability has supported NHS England, working with NHS Improvement and other health and care system partners, to transform services and deliver real improvements for patients, while also working to ensure the sustainability of the NHS for future generations, as set out in its <em>Five Year Forward View</em> and <em>Next Steps on the NHS’s Five Year Forward View</em>.</p><p>As the NHS approaches its 70<sup>th</sup> anniversary, this stability and focus is more important than ever. The NHS is facing unprecedented levels of demand and must meet the immediate challenges of reducing this demand and continuing to improve NHS productivity and efficiency, so that all who need access to vital NHS services can get access within agreed timeframes.</p><p>The mandate for 2018-19 is therefore a mandate of consolidation and renewal. It continues the multi-year approach already established, making only one change to the enduring objectives. This is to reflect the important role that NHS England will need to play in ensuring a smooth and orderly withdrawal from the European Union in the best interests of patients. It will include supporting the many EU nationals making an enormous contribution to our health and care services.</p><p>Mandate objectives in 2018/19 will therefore be:</p><ul><li>to improve local and national health outcomes, and reduce health inequalities, through better commissioning;</li><li>to help create the safest, highest quality health and care service;</li><li>to balance the NHS budget and improve efficiency and productivity;</li><li>to lead a step change in the NHS in preventing ill health and supporting people to live healthier lives;</li><li>to improve and maintain performance against core standards;</li><li>to improve out-of-hospital care; and</li><li>to support research, innovation and growth, and to support the Government’s implementation of EU Exit in regards to health and care.</li></ul><p>I have agreed with colleagues at Her Majesty’s Treasury and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government that it is not necessary to impose any requirements for the purpose of ensuring that it achieves its objectives in 2018/19.The Better Care Fund is now well-established, with two-year local plans now underway and progress being made to better join up care around the needs of people and communities. Now is therefore the time for Clinical Commissioning Groups and Local Authorities, supported by Government and NHS England, to work together to continue implementation and reach joint solutions in the interests of their local populations. In addition, the Department of Health and Social Care is currently undertaking a triennial review of its Framework Agreement with NHS England, to ensure that it is up-to-date, including reflecting <em>Managing Public Money </em>principles.</p><p>This year, I expect NHS England to step up the joint work that it does with NHS Improvement to ensure that the NHS lives within its means. I have therefore also sought to ensure that, where they share responsibility for delivery, the mandate and the annual remit letter to NHS Improvement are more closely aligned than previously. Both the mandate and the NHS Improvement remit letter are, for the first time, being published simultaneously on gov.uk today.</p><p>As required by the Act, I have consulted both NHS England and Healthwatch England in developing the mandate.</p><p>As in previous years, I have also re-laid the mandate for 2017-18, reflecting NHS England’s increased budget for 2017-18.</p><p>Copies of the mandate for 2018-19, revised mandate for 2017-18, and NHS Improvement remit letter for 2018-19 are attached.</p>","house":"Commons","noticeNumber":4,"hasAttachments":true,"hasLinkedStatements":true,"linkedStatements":[{"linkedStatementId":867355,"linkType":"JointStatement","linkDate":"2018-03-20T00:00:00"}],"attachments":[{"url":"https://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/867354/original/NHSE_Mandate_2018-19.pdf","title":"NHSE Mandate 2018-19","fileType":"pdf","fileSizeBytes":501049},{"url":"https://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/867354/original/NHSE_Mandate_ 2017-18.pdf","title":"NHSE Revised Mandate 2017-18","fileType":"pdf","fileSizeBytes":519501},{"url":"https://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/867354/original/NHS Improvement Remit Letter 2018-19F.pdf","title":"NHSI remit letter","fileType":"pdf","fileSizeBytes":98635}]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Statements/867354","method":"GET"}]}