The NHS has been given the job of saving £20 billion in four years. This is variously known as the QIPP programme or the Nicholson Challenge. It has been described as so big it can be see from outer space. Last month the Audit Commission produced their summary of the NHS financial year to remarkably little fanfare. The summary is that £4.3 billion was saved.
The report goes on to note that:
This is less than £5 billion;
They can’t exclude the possibility of there being some double counting;
They don’t know how much of this is recurrent saving;
This was the first year, which is usually the easiest of any savings plan.
So the question for us in the NHS is why didn’t we manage it? Is it over simplifying to say that the target is £5 billion per year, and that we failed that target? What are we going to do about it? What are we going to do differently next year (and indeed this year)? And, if QIPP is such a big deal why hasn’t this report received more attention?
