Feature / Technical round-up

07 March 2012

The HRG4 2012/13 local payment grouper is available to download from the NHS Information Centre’s website. The tool should be used to group data and derive healthcare resource groups, support data quality, conduct what-if modelling, and assess local reimbursement to be received under payment by results for the 2012/13 financial year.
Monitor has adopted the revised accounting approach for donated assets and government grants – an amendment as a result of changes in the Treasury Financial reporting manual. Publishing the NHS foundation trust annual reporting manual 2011/12 and consultation response, now available from its website, Monitor said it recognised the potential impact on financial risk ratings and would consider this for inclusion in its 2012/13 compliance framework. The regulator said it understood there was no intention that additional public dividend would become payable as a result of the change in accounting policy.
The Department of Health has issued further details on the national dementia target for CQUIN (commissioning for quality and innovation). In a video blog, Alistair Burns, the national clinical director for dementia, outlines the new CQUIN, which will be introduced in April.
A draft 2011/12 Manual for accountshas been published by the Department of Health. The manual is a core part of the wider NHS finance manual, as represented by the Finman website.
The Department of Health said the market forces factor (MFF) index in 2012/13 ranges from 1.0 to 1.2976. The range was included in technical guidance on the MFF, which was published alongside the package confirming the arrangement for payment by results in 2012/13. MFF accounts for variation in unavoidable costs in several elements of provider running costs.
The PBR package also included documents explaining the developing maternity pathway, its structure, pricing and business rules. A shadow-year template also aims to help organisations understand and benchmark their casemix and evaluate the financial impact of the new system.
Strategic health authorities must prepare by 16 March an initial strategy for the future use of SHA and primary care trust administrative buildings. The Department of Health said the strategies should take account of the future office requirements of the NHS Commissioning Board and other arm’s length bodies. It also issued a framework for the management of the administrative estate in respect of future needs.
The HFMA Governance and Audit Committee has drafted a short information note on the Bribery Act 2010. It examines the application to the NHS and possible preventative measures. The note, which is available on the HFMA website, has been produced for the benefit of practitioners and is not intended to give definitive guidance on the application of the legislation. Organisations should seek their own legal advice as appropriate.
The government has defended its decision to cut the weighting for health inequalities in 2011/12 primary care trust allocations to 10% from 15%. Responding to last year’s Commons health committee report on public health, which criticised the move, ministers said there was no evidence that PCTs with higher inequalities spent more on public health and preventative interventions.

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