Breakdown of Withheld Sustainability and Transformation Funding

The request was refused by NHS Improvement.

Dear NHS Improvement,

I am writing to request the release of information on Sustainability and Transformation Fund payments withheld to-date; I am seeking quarterly data broken down by recipient organisation, with each amount withheld itemised along with the reason for the withholding.

Regards,

--

Richard Taylor
Cambridge
http://www.rtaylor.co.uk

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

For background see
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmOWrHIc...

While my local STP called this funding "Sustainability and Transformation Funding" on p12 of its November 2018 board papers[1]; orally during the meeting Paul Scott, the Chair, Financial Performance and Planning Group, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Sustainability & Transformation Partnership, stated the funding is currently called: "Provider Sustainability Funding"[2], I may add a clarification to the request once it has been allocated a reference number, though hopefully it is already clear enough.

A NHS England Board paper from February 2018[3] reveals there is "Provider Sustainability Funding" and "Commissioner Sustainability Funding".

1.https://www.fitforfuture.org.uk/wp-conte...
2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmOWrHIc0...
3.https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/up...

FOI (NHS IMPROVEMENT - T1520), NHS Improvement

Dear Mr Taylor,

 

Receipt of your request for information by email dated 23 November 2018 is
acknowledged.

 

NHS Improvement will respond promptly to your request within 20 working
days following the date of receipt, so by 21 December 2018.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

NHS Improvement

 

Follow us on: [1]Twitter | [2]LinkedIn

 

NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts, NHS
trusts and independent providers. We offer the support these providers
need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care
within local health systems that are financially sustainable. By holding
providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, we help the NHS to
meet its short-term challenges and secure its future.

 

NHS Improvement is the operational name for the organisation that brings
together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the
National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change team and the
Intensive Support Teams.

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Dear NHS Improvement,

I am writing to clarify my Freedom of Information request with the subject: "Breakdown of Withheld Sustainability and Transformation Funding" sent on 23 November 2018.

I asked for information on Sustainability and Transformation Fund payments; while the NHS locally to me is using the term Sustainability and Transformation Fund in current papers I have become aware the NHS is now using the term "Sustainability Funding". I would like my request to be interpreted as applying to both the "Sustainability and Transformation Fund" and "Sustainability Funding"

My full request and correspondence can be viewed online at:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/b...

Regards,

--

Richard Taylor
Cambridge
http://www.rtaylor.co.uk

FOI (NHS IMPROVEMENT - T1520), NHS Improvement

Dear Mr Taylor,

 

Receipt of your clarification email dated 5 December 2018 is acknowledged.

 

NHS Improvement will respond promptly to your request within 20 working
days following the date of receipt, so by 7 January 2019.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

NHS Improvement

 

Follow us on: [1]Twitter | [2]LinkedIn

 

NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts, NHS
trusts and independent providers. We offer the support these providers
need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care
within local health systems that are financially sustainable. By holding
providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, we help the NHS to
meet its short-term challenges and secure its future.

 

NHS Improvement is the operational name for the organisation that brings
together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the
National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change team and the
Intensive Support Teams.

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FOI (NHS IMPROVEMENT - T1520), NHS Improvement

Dear Mr Taylor,

 

We write further to your email dated 5 December 2018.

 

You requested information in relation to the Sustainability and
Transformation Funding / Sustainability Funding.

 

We write to advise that NHS Improvement do not withhold payments of the
Provider Sustainability Fund (PSF). The PSF is paid on a rules basis
following the rules in the published guidance. The rules require a trust
to achieve their control totals and achieve their A&E performance targets.
These are the two requirements that the trust needs to achieve to be
entitled to a full payment of PSF. No payment is ever withheld but some
trusts may not be entitled to payment based on the rules. Please can you
confirm you are requesting information on the providers who have failed to
qualify for the funding due to the reasons explained above?

 

Whilst writing we would also like to advise that NHS Improvement publish
the detail of the PSF value that have been paid to trusts in each
quarterly report (including the annual plan) and at the year end, we
publish in the quarter 4 report the full value of PSF payments made,
broken down by type. You can view the quarterly re ports on our website:
[1]https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/qua....
You would be able to identify any payments that trusts have failed to
qualify for by combining information from the quarterly and year end
reports.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

NHS Improvement

 

Follow us on: [2]Twitter | [3]LinkedIn

 

NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts, NHS
trusts and independent providers. We offer the support these providers
need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care
within local health systems that are financially sustainable. By holding
providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, we help the NHS to
meet its short-term challenges and secure its future.

 

NHS Improvement is the operational name for the organisation that brings
together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the
National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change team and the
Intensive Support Teams.

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FOI (NHS IMPROVEMENT - T1520), NHS Improvement

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Taylor

 

Please see the attached decision letter dated 18 March 2019.

 

Yours sincerely

 

NHS Improvement

T 0203 747 0000
W [1]improvement.nhs.uk
Wellington House, 133-155 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UG

 

Follow us on: [2]Twitter | [3]LinkedIn

 

NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts, NHS
trusts and independent providers. We offer the support these providers
need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care
within local health systems that are financially sustainable. By holding
providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, we help the NHS to
meet its short-term challenges and secure its future.

 

NHS Improvement is the operational name for the organisation that brings
together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the
National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change team and the
Intensive Support Teams.

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From: FOI (NHS IMPROVEMENT - T1520)
Sent: 03 January 2019 13:06
To: 'Richard Taylor' <[FOI #534744 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Breakdown of Withheld
Sustainability and Transformation Funding

 

Dear Mr Taylor,

 

We write further to your email dated 5 December 2018.

 

You requested information in relation to the Sustainability and
Transformation Funding / Sustainability Funding.

 

We write to advise that NHS Improvement do not withhold payments of the
Provider Sustainability Fund (PSF). The PSF is paid on a rules basis
following the rules in the published guidance. The rules require a trust
to achieve their control totals and achieve their A&E performance targets.
These are the two requirements that the trust needs to achieve to be
entitled to a full payment of PSF. No payment is ever withheld but some
trusts may not be entitled to payment based on the rules. Please can you
confirm you are requesting information on the providers who have failed to
qualify for the funding due to the reasons explained above?

 

Whilst writing we would also like to advise that NHS Improvement publish
the detail of the PSF value that have been paid to trusts in each
quarterly report (including the annual plan) and at the year end, we
publish in the quarter 4 report the full value of PSF payments made,
broken down by type. You can view the quarterly re ports on our website:
[4]https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/qua....
You would be able to identify any payments that trusts have failed to
qualify for by combining information from the quarterly and year end
reports.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

NHS Improvement

 

Follow us on: [5]Twitter | [6]LinkedIn

 

NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts, NHS
trusts and independent providers. We offer the support these providers
need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care
within local health systems that are financially sustainable. By holding
providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, we help the NHS to
meet its short-term challenges and secure its future.

 

NHS Improvement is the operational name for the organisation that brings
together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the
National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change team and the
Intensive Support Teams.

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Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

It's notable that this request has been refused on cost grounds rather than the response saying the information requested is present in the annual reports which have been linked to. I couldn't easily extract the information requested from the reports and it appears the NHS can't either.

Another interesting point is the differing perspective between the NHS centrally and locally. Those running the NHS locally to me speak of funding being withheld due to targets not being met, centrally the NHS are saying local bodies become ineligible for funding due to not meeting targets, though it does appear that when addressing this request they have recognised that in essence these are the same thing.