Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Accepted
NHS England confirms single room wards require significant changes in staff mix and numbers.
Conclusion
We asked NHS England whether it was concerned about the assumptions and if switching to wards with single rooms only was safe. It told us that it was working with the NHP team and that Hospital 2.0 must be fit for purpose and thoroughly tested. It also wanted services in community, primary care and social care to change in a way that would support the aim of reducing the time patients spend in hospital.37 Regarding the safety of single rooms, NHS England assured us that new hospitals could safely monitor and oversee single rooms by adapting their clinical models of care. Some other developed countries already have single rooms as standard and in some it is a legal requirement.38 NHS England acknowledged that there would need to be a change in staff mix, and potentially an increase in staff numbers, to cope with the new single-room layout.39 32 Qq 61, 66; C&AG’s Report, para 3.14 33 C&AG’s Report, para 3.14 34 C&AG’s Report, para 3.14 35 NHP0005 36 Qq 61–66 37 Qq 65, 74 38 Q 69 39 Q 70 14 The New Hospital Programme 2 Dealing with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and transparency of selection Dealing with RAAC
Government Response Summary
The government, despite the item being a conclusion, states it 'agrees with the Committee’s recommendation' and is implementing it. It commits to keeping hospital size assumptions under constant review and details work with NHS England on modelling, business case options by May 2024, and a bottom-up demand assessment.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The government agrees that it is vital that future hospitals are the right size and it will keep the assumptions on size of future hospitals under constant review. The NHP is working jointly with wider NHSE to develop its modelling and ensure fit with regional and national modelling on the long-term infrastructure needs of the NHS, across acute, community and primary care settings. NHP is also putting forward different options on programme scope, as is normal practice, as part of its programme business case, which is due to be agreed by May 2024. To tailor its central modelling to local needs, NHP is also developing a standardised, bottom-up model to assess the most probable net demand, jointly with NHS trusts and integrated care boards. This work requires a high level of collaboration with a wide range of local NHS and other stakeholders to combine national expertise and best practice with local knowledge. As well as ensuring that hospitals are not too small, this approach will also ensure that hospitals are not too big, thus avoiding unnecessary capital costs and ensuring that trusts can afford the running costs of the new facilities. One of the principles of Hospital 2.0 is that it should maximise the opportunity for future expansion, and this has been factored in standard designs to ensure this can happen for minimum cost and operational disruption.