Recommendation 9

We asked how local authorities and NHS bodies could be expected to work together and deliver a joint strategy when local authorities receive provisional budgets in December, and final ones by February, but NHS 8 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.6 and 1.8 9 C&AG’s Report, para 2.9 10 Q 57 11 Q 57 12 Q 59 13 Qq 65, 68 9 colleagues receive their budgets months later.14 DHSC said it would ideally provide NHS bodies with budget certainty before Christmas each year, but this might not necessarily be exactly the same day as local authority settlements.15 However, it reiterated that, in the event of big external shocks, a judgement call would still be needed about whether these figures would be realistic and therefore helpful.16 Short-term funding decisions