NHS: time for the regulators to sort out health care

Perhaps Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, could be forgiven for his “management-speak” speech at today’s NHS Confederation.  He was after all speaking to a room full of…er…managers.

Nevertheless, what he was saying was fundamentally important to all of us – the public, patients, NHS staff.  Because what he was outlining today at his conference speech was a change to the way things have been done in the health service in recent times.

He was announcing a “success regime”.  So instead of changing the chief executive or sending in more inspectors or bailing them out with more cash, they will send in the regulators (the NHS Trust Development Authority, Monitor and NHS England, along with the CQC) to look at what is going on across the entire service.

And instead of there being punishments for failing to meet targets or overspending, they will be listening to the people on the ground who know better than anyone what the local issues are.

The three areas announced today are North Cumbria, Essex and North, East and West Devon.  This is not about organisational change, nor is it the Henry VIII approach, as one press officer put it.

If a trust is breaching waiting times, for instance, they will ask is it access to primary care, is there a problem with mental health services or is not enough being done with prevention?

It was headlined by one newspaper as “NHS Regulators to take over health services in three English regions”.  But that is absolutely not what he was talking about.

Rather – and this fits in with everything he has said since he took over as chief executive –  Mr Stevens was reiterating his belief  there is a need to look for local rather than nationally-imposed solutions. That one size does not fit all – especially in the health service.

He also said there is no likelihood that the NHS will see additional infusions of cash this year so it will have to make do with the resources available.

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