Request
How is NHS East Midlands adhering to its responsibilities under the CQUIN National Assurance Process?
Our Response
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request concerning NHS East Midlands’ compliance with the CQUIN National Assurance Process.
I can confirm in accordance with S.1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) that we do hold some of the information that you have requested.
NHS East Midlands shares the aims of Lifeblood in avoiding preventable deaths from VTE.
The Strategic Health Authority (SHA) assures the CQUIN schemes agreed between commissioners and providers through its overarching contract assurance process. The SHA assures itself that the schemes agreed meet the standards set out by national guidance and offers a fair but testing stretch on providers in the wider context of the affordability of the contract and local health economy. Please find attached a copy of the East Midlands Regional Framework for CQUIN schemes in 2010/11 for your information.
NHS East Midlands, as part of its regional CQUIN Framework, mandated that 0.2% of the contract value should be assigned to the national VTE CQUIN Goal with the remaining 0.1% of the value of the national indicators being assigned to the patient experience indicator. The milestone date for this indicator is yet to be reached. I should advise you that we do not hold the data for the amount of money released to providers. Payment mechanisms related to CQUIN schemes are set out in the NHS Standard Acute Contract and the national guidance for CQUIN and National Contracts.
The East Midlands Quality Observatory uses the VTE data submitted by providers to UNIFY as part of its collation and publication of data related to the SHA CQUIN Regional Framework indicators. There has been one instance of a provider in the East Midlands submitting a nil return through use of sample data. We have provided both the provider and their commissioner with guidance on how to rectify this and the SHA’s expectations that achievement of the threshold should be based on compliance with national data returns and not local sampling.
The SHA held a contracting workshop in January 2010 at which the Department of Health contracting team highlighted PCT contractual obligations on CQUIN, including the national indicators. The SHA has circulated the national guidance on the VTE indicator and further Professional Letters from Professor Sir Bruce Keogh to commissioners. Finally the SHA continues to offer ad hoc support to commissioners and providers in the interpretation and implementation of this guidance through the year.
We are not aware of the withholding of any CQUIN monies by PCTs to providers where their providers have successfully met agreed performance thresholds. The SHA would not support actions which contravened the terms of national standard contracts.
I hope that this information is of use. If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with your request you can ask us to review our decision by writing to:-
Mr Moosa Patel
Director of Corporate Affairs
NHS East Midlands
Octavia House
Interchange Business Park
Bostock's Lane
Sandiacre
Nottingham
NG10 5QG
If at the conclusion of any review you remain dissatisfied you may complain to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at:-
The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
