Strategic planning health for health economies

Eleven financially-challenged health economies in England are to receive expert help with strategic planning in order to secure sustainable quality services for their local patients.

Monitor, NHS England and the NHS Trust Development Authority have agreed to fund a series of projects to help groups of commissioners and providers work together to develop integrated five-year plans that effectively address the particular local challenges they face.

As part of the annual planning round, all NHS organisations are being urged to plan over a five-year period in future as part of a concerted effort to tackle the long-term financial and operational challenges facing the system.

The eleven areas have been chosen on the basis that they will most benefit from external support in the first few weeks of the new financial year, and potential suppliers are now being invited to tender for the work.

Responsibility for delivering strategic plans remains with the individual commissioners and providers. The appointed supplier will act as a critical friend, seeking to bring together all partners in the health economy and testing whether the organisations are undertaking their long term strategic planning in the most effective way.

Suppliers will be appointed at the end of March and will begin a programme of work lasting around 10 weeks across the four workstreams of:

• A diagnosis of supply and demand;
• Solutions development and options analysis,
• Plan development;
• implementation.