33 Not Addressed

We asked the Department what it was doing to assure itself that the situation at...

Conclusion
We asked the Department what it was doing to assure itself that the situation at UHL would be resolved and whether it was an isolated occurrence or indicative of similar issues that may surface elsewhere in the NHS in the future. The Department acknowledged the fact that annual report and accounts had not been published for 2019–20 or 2020–21 was a serious issue. It told us the Trust entered special measures in August 2020 and NHS Improvement is working intensively with UHL, with national and regional leads working together with the Trust, to resolve the governance and control weaknesses. The Department said it was not aware of any other Trusts with similar problems, and that any issues would be identified by NHS Improvement through its oversight framework.64 63 Qq 111, 113 64 Q 111 Department of Health and Social Care 2020–21 Annual Report and Accounts 19
Government Response Summary
The government response details NHS England's process for scrutinizing severance cases and contractual payments for NHS and foundation trusts, which is unrelated to the original query about resolving governance issues at UHL and systemic issues within the NHS.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government Not Addressed
6.8 For NHS Trusts, NHS England has an internal process whereby the Trust Appointments and Approvals Committee (TAAC) scrutinises and approves certain proposed severance cases and contractual payments over £100,000 to all NHS Trust staff to ensure they are properly authorised in advance and are not irregular. 6.9 Regarding foundation trusts, NHS England conduct a due diligence check on all non- contractual severance payments to ensure probity and compliance with Managing Public Money. 6.10 All the above cases are reported quarterly to the NHS England Board to provide additional governance at senior level.
Source
Committee Public Accounts Committee
Inquiry DHSC Annual Reports and Accounts 2020-21
Report Sixth Report - Department of Health and Social Care 2020–21 Annual Report and Accounts 10 Jun 2022 HC 253
View on Parliament website
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 4.0 yrs
Report published 10 Jun 2022