1 Introduction
1. On 18 January 2011 the Health Committee published
its report on Commissioning, responding to the proposed reforms
set out in the White Paper Equity and excellence: Liberating
the NHS (12 July 2010) and associated documents, including
the Command Paper Liberating the NHS: Legislative framework
and next steps (15 December 2010). The Government issued its
response to the Committee's report on 31 January 2011.
2. The Committee believes that effective commissioning
is a precondition to the successful delivery of the requirement
for the NHS to achieve an efficiency gain of 4% per annum over
the four years from 2011-12 ("the Nicholson Challenge").
Failure to deliver this requirement would undermine either the
quality or the availability of care for patients—which would
in turn lead to pressure for extra resources.
3. This report therefore examines those issues that
we highlighted previously as requiring further consideration.
Our aim has been to produce further analysis for the House of
Commons when it reaches the report stage of the Health and Social
Care Bill. As in our first report on this issue, we remain
convinced that meeting increasing demand for high quality health
care while delivering 4% efficiency gains year on year remains
the biggest challenge that faces the NHS. Effective commissioning
is key to that target being achieved.
4. In this second inquiry we have taken evidence
from the Department of Health; Local Government Association; National
Association of Local Involvement Networks; The Moore Adamson Craig
Partnership LLP; Professor Jonathan Tritter, Warwick Business
School; Dr Charles Alessi; Royal College of General Practitioners;
Royal College of Nursing; NHS Alliance; Professor Calum Paton,
Keele University; Professor Paul Corrigan CBE; Nigel Edwards, NHS Confederation; Beachcroft LLP;
Monitor; Medical Practitioners' Union; The King's Fund, Royal College
of Surgeons; East London and the City Alliance PCT Cluster; Dr
Paul Hobday; Seán Boyle, London School of Economics; Healthcare
Financial Management Association; Noel Plumridge; Audit Commission;
and Professor Margaret Whitehead, University of Liverpool. We
have also received 50 written submissions. We are grateful to
all of those who have contributed to the inquiry. Professor Kieran
Walshe of Manchester Business school was an adviser to the Committee
for the inquiry and we are grateful to him for his assistance.
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