Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department has received on the effect on patients and NHS Trusts and foundation trusts of the 3.8 per cent efficiency factor proposed in the Monitor and NHS England document, 2015/16 National Tariff Payment System: a consultation notice.

Monitor and NHS England consulted on 2015-16 National Tariff proposals from 26 November to 24 December 2014. They received 310 formal responses, together with approximately 109 emails, 38 letters and 6,765 signatories on an e-petition organised by a mental health charity, conveying a range of views on all aspects of the National Tariff. Monitor is in the process of analysing responses in order to identify formal objections to the methodology and assess other responses received.

The validation process is complex, and involves checking that any formal objection represents the corporate view of a relevant organisation (as opposed to the personal opinion of any one individual within it). The outcome of this analysis, together with feedback from the consultation generally, will be considered by Monitor’s board in due course for a final decision on the way forward. It would not be appropriate at this time to discuss individual elements of this feedback.