Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 37
37
Accepted
New Hospital Programme aims to build national capability in hospital delivery, using consultants for specific expertise.
Conclusion
NHP is a long-term programme with at least eight of the current schemes now due to complete sometime during the 2030s, as part of what DHSC intends will be a rolling programme.80 One of NHP’s strategic objectives is to build national capability in planning and delivering new hospitals. This is to be achieved through a central team, the NHP team, whose functions include some previously performed in local NHS trusts with assistance from private-sector partners. It is normal for consultants to have a role to play in programmes such as NHP, where specific professional or technical expertise is required for certain activities.81 Typically a programme would aim to have a strong core team and bring in consultants to fill gaps at the margins or for short-duration tasks.82
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the NHP requires significant expertise and is actively recruiting into key internal roles while also procuring a programme delivery partner for specific external expertise, with the aim to potentially replace some external resources with directly employed individuals as the programme matures.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
7.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2024 7.2 The NHP is a highly complex infrastructure project that requires significant technical expertise. External professional and technical expertise is a regular part of large construction programmes, and the NHP’s approach is in line with other major government programmes at this stage. The NHP has a recruitment strategy that covers the full breath of its required resource over the duration of the programme lifecycle, and the procurement of a programme delivery partner. The department regularly engages with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office on this and will write to the Committee by March 2024 as requested. 7.3 There is a shortage of skilled specialists across the Civil Service which affects the delivery of many major government projects, and there have been difficulties in recruiting people to senior leadership positions in the NHP. The NHP is actively recruiting into key roles in the department and NHSE, including project and programme management, digital and workforce change, procurement and other commercial expertise. Resourcing is regularly monitored by the NHP People Committee to ensure that the NHP has the right level of resources to deliver the programme effectively. 7.4 The NHP also recognises that some roles are more appropriate to fill with specific external expertise, examples being architects and engineers. Specific external expertise will be procured through a programme delivery partner. NHSE launched the procurement for this delivery partner in November 2023. The government’s view is that a programme delivery partner approach is necessary to enable the NHP to secure the flexible capability it needs to meet emerging risks and challenges, but that as the programme matures, it may be possible for some of this resource to eventually be replaced by directly employed individuals.