The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what savings are planned for neonatal care under the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention Initiative for 2014-15.
Dr Daniel Poulter
NHS England, as part of its direct commissioning responsibilities for specialised services, has an ongoing programme in place to identify both local and national opportunities to identify potential efficiencies as part of its management and prioritisation of available resources.
NHS England’s Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), involving lead clinical, patient and professional representatives, are assisting NHS England in this work, particularly in respect of proposals that might be considered nationwide.
Specialised neonatal care is one of NHS England’s most significant areas of expenditure and the Neonatal CRG has therefore been involved in identifying potential neonatal specific schemes, which may have the potential to deliver savings whilst maintaining safety and quality. The schemes will be subject to a confirm and challenge process to determine their deliverability, before being worked up into schemes which could be implemented on a national basis.
It is therefore not possible, at this stage in the programme’s development, to quantify the level of savings that might be generated nationally or the specific savings approach that will be adopted.
It is unlikely that the national schemes currently being considered will generate savings in 20140-15. The schemes are more likely to be transformational in design and therefore are more likely to deliver savings in the longer term.
