How is the NHS performing? February 2016: Quarterly Monitoring Report

Part of Quarterly monitoring report (QMR)

The latest quarterly monitoring report finds that NHS trusts are forecasting an end-of-year net deficit of around £2.3 billion. The estimate, based on survey responses from 83 trusts, comes as NHS national bodies are imposing stringent financial controls in an effort to reduce the deficit to £1.8 billion by the end of the financial year. This underlines the risk that the Department of Health will breach parliamentary protocol by overspending its budget.

The regular survey of NHS finance directors carried out for the report also highlights increasing concerns about quality of care as the financial crisis deepens. For the first time since the survey began in 2011, more than half of trust finance directors (53 per cent) said that quality of care in their local area has worsened in the past year. Nearly as many (48 per cent) clinical commissioning group finance leads agreed.

Key findings from this quarter’s survey include:

  • more than two thirds of trusts (67 per cent) and 9 out of 10 (89 per cent) acute hospitals are forecasting a deficit at the end of 2015/16
  • more than half of trusts (53 per cent) are concerned that they will not be able to meet nationally-imposed caps on their agency staff spending, while a fifth (22 per cent) say the caps may impact on their ability to recruit the staff they need to provide safe care
  • nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of trusts are reliant on extra financial support from the Department of Health or drawing down their reserves
  • more than half of trust finance directors (53 per cent) are concerned about meeting productivity targets – the highest level of concern at this time of year since our survey began
  • CCGs are in a better financial position, although nearly one-fifth (18 per cent) are forecasting a deficit and nearly a third (29 per cent) are concerned about meeting their productivity targets.

View the QMR

About this quarter's report

How is the NHS performing? February 2016 is the eighteenth of The King's Fund's regular quarterly monitoring reports. Find out more.

Related content

Comments

Pearl Baker

Position
Independent Mental Health Advocate and Advisor/Carer,
Organisation
Independent
Comment date
18 February 2016
This is all very interesting, although predictable, you cannot improve a service if you are in 'deficit' at the same time, as being forced to sign up to make 'efficiency' SAVINGS' without compromising patient Healthcare.

My understanding is that their would be repercussions for the Trust Board if they went into 'deficit'?

The 'sustainability and transformation' fund will be used to 'bale' out the Trusts in 'deficit' with the number of Trust predicted to go into 'deficit' this fund could all but disappear.

I return to the role of the CCGs, evidence suggests the Mentally Ill are 'suffering' most! ' The CCGs are perfectly aware of the situation, but fail to implement the 'Better Care Fund' to this group of 'forgotten' patients.

I would like to see an ANNUAL return to the DOH stating exactly how the lives of the Mentally Ill are improving, via 'integration'. The CCGs reply is we put 'lots' of money into 'talking' therapies, but can produce no evidence in how the lives of the LTC Schizophrenic or Bipolar patient are 'benefitting' from a service, that for the main does NOT include them.

If you suffer from Schizophrenia in my area, you are more likely NOT to have a 'Care Plan' 'discharged' for no other reason than you are stable!

The above group are now 'dead' and 'invisible' to the system of Health & Social Care, more likely to live 'rough' and live an isolated existence, ironically you can still be recorded as being subject to Section 117 of the 1983 MHA.

The 'data' collected is completely 'flawed' except those Trusts in 'Deficit'.

To SUMMARIZE above; trusts in 'deficit' will be identified, why they are in 'deficit' will NOT reveal the entire 'truth' why! many of their vulnerable section 117 patient's are 'invisible' to the system, if they died would it make a difference to the trusts 'data' NO, because they were lost to the system probably years ago.

Pearl Baker

Position
Independent Mental Health Advocate and Advisor/Carer,
Organisation
Independent
Comment date
18 February 2016
This is all very interesting, although predictable, you cannot improve a service if you are in 'deficit' at the same time, as being forced to sign up to make 'efficiency' SAVINGS' without compromising patient Healthcare.

My understanding is that their would be repercussions for the Trust Board if they went into 'deficit'?

The 'sustainability and transformation' fund will be used to 'bale' out the Trusts in 'deficit' with the number of Trust predicted to go into 'deficit' this fund could all but disappear.

I return to the role of the CCGs, evidence suggests the Mentally Ill are 'suffering' most! ' The CCGs are perfectly aware of the situation, but fail to implement the 'Better Care Fund' to this group of 'forgotten' patients.

I would like to see an ANNUAL return to the DOH stating exactly how the lives of the Mentally Ill are improving, via 'integration'. The CCGs reply is we put 'lots' of money into 'talking' therapies, but can produce no evidence in how the lives of the LTC Schizophrenic or Bipolar patient are 'benefitting' from a service, that for the main does NOT include them.

If you suffer from Schizophrenia in my area, you are more likely NOT to have a 'Care Plan' 'discharged' for no other reason than you are stable!

The above group are now 'dead' and 'invisible' to the system of Health & Social Care, more likely to live 'rough' and live an isolated existence, ironically you can still be recorded as being subject to Section 117 of the 1983 MHA.

The 'data' collected is completely 'flawed' except those Trusts in 'Deficit'.

To SUMMARIZE above; trusts in 'deficit' will be identified, why they are in 'deficit' will NOT reveal the entire 'truth' why! many of their vulnerable section 117 patient's are 'invisible' to the system, if they died would it make a difference to the trusts 'data' NO, because they were lost to the system probably years ago.

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