Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Accepted
NHS England establishing a national team to enhance controls over suspension payments.
Conclusion
We asked NHS England why it did not have adequate controls in place to prevent ineligible payments of this nature and what controls it was putting in place to ensure that this does not happen again. NHS England confirmed that following two cases that were identified in late 2022 as part of the audit of its 2021–22 accounts, it commissioned internal audit to review the cases of all those who were on the suspension list. NHS England explained that this review had identified the 12 cases referred to above, but that it had not found any others. NHS England told us that given the complexity of some of the caselaw involved, it was going back through the list again and had created a single national team to administer the payments, as opposed to control being dispersed through seven regional teams. By having one team processing the system, NHS England felt it had 49 Qq 19, 23 50 Qq 36–39 51 Qq 36, 38–42; Department of Health and Social Care, Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23, HC 33, 25 January 202, pages 138 52 Qq 40–42 53 Q 73; NHS England, Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23, HC 468, 25 January 2024, pages 83; C&AG’s Report, NHS England Annual Report and Accounts 2022–23, pages 131–133 Department of Health and Social Care2022–23 Annual Report and Accounts 19 better oversight and could ensure better controls so it did not find itself in this position in future. It told us that the new approach meant that it could do checks every month and streamline the process.54
Government Response Summary
The government has accepted the implicit recommendation to improve controls for suspended practitioner payments, confirming a new national process with additional verification and central oversight was implemented from April 2024, and a submission made to DHSC to review and simplify eligibility determinations.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 6.2 A new process to assess the eligibility and the amount payable in relation to suspended practitioners was implemented on 1 April 2024. This new process adds an additional level of checking beyond local teams by the national team and it restricts the authority for making payments to the national team only. This provides an additional verification level and provides consistency in the assessment process and increased central oversight. 6.3 NHS England has also provided a submission to DHSC requesting the review and simplification of the Secretary of State Determinations that sets out the statutory basis relating to the eligibility criterion and amount payable when a practitioner is suspended.