Feature / Technical round-up

CQUIN guidance – pay FAQs – finance survey – balance agreement

• NHS England has published supporting documents to the standard contract, including guidance on the CQUIN quality and innovation initiative. The documents are highlighted in?the latest bulletin for clinical commissioning groups. The bulletin also includes information on personal health budgets, with patients receiving NHS continuing care given the right to ask for a personal budget from April.
• NHS Employers has published a frequently asked questions document about the pay award for 2014/15 and 2015/16, including general questions about the award and more specific questions on agenda for change and doctor and dentist pay. It is working on new pay circulars and expects the pay increases will be made in May, backdated to 1 April.
• Finance managers have been invited to take part in a survey on how NHS decision-makers can be supported to balance financial and quality improvement goals. The survey, also open to clinical and operational decision-makers, is part of a project led by the NHS Confederation and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. This aims to understand the relationship between finance and quality improvement and produce a range of tools to help decision-makers.
• The Department of Health has issued the final timetable for the 2013/14 quarter four agreement of balances exercise. This has been posted on the online finance manual, together with contact information, revised guidance and Department statement templates.
• NHS Employers has issued a guide to recent changes in the NHS Pension Scheme. NHS Pension Scheme – a summary of scheme changes covers topics including increased employee contributions in 2014/15, total reward statements and scheme valuation. The government has confirmed that employee pension contribution increases will go ahead as planned from April. This is the third of three rises planned in the NHS pension scheme before the move to the career average revalued earnings (Care) scheme in 2015/16. In its response to the consultation on the year three proposals, the government said the rationale for the rise still stood and despite warnings to the contrary, there has only been a small increase in the number of members opting out.
• The unit costs of a wide range of health and social care services for England in 2013 have been published. The Department of Health said the report, published on the Personal Social Services Research Unit website, brings together information about staff and services in as transparent and consistent way as possible.
• Monitor has said that it is aware of an error in the foundation trust consolidation and agreement of balances process. The sector regulator said the error was in validation 1, which is reporting a fail even when all confirmation questions are answered. It said a fixer will be issued, but only as/and when any further issues are reported.
• The Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has published the Manual of accounts 2013/14 for health and social care bodies. It said the main changes include amendments to the template and guidance to reflect new 2013/14 Department of Finance and Personnel and Financial reporting manual guidance. The updated manual also includes updates and clarification on any accounts issues that were raised in 2012/13, either by a health and social care body or by the Northern Ireland Audit Office.