Subject to successful passage through Parliament, the Health and Social Care Bill will establish a comprehensive, proportionate and robust legal framework for sector regulation across the healthcare sector.
The Department has produced a short guide, specifically for providers of NHS-funded services which outlines the proposals for the sector regulation regime; how Monitor’s current role as independent regulator for foundation trusts will expand, covering five key functions, to implement the regime, protecting and promoting patients’ interests.
Key features of the sector regulation regime are:
- A clear focus on protecting and promoting patients’ interests
- Joint working between the Care Quality Commission, Monitor and the NHS Commissioning Board
- A comprehensive system applicable to all types of provider
- Rationalisation of existing regulatory structures and reduced duplication
- The Secretary of State retaining overall accountability and powers to intervene where necessary, and
- The proposed framework will be underpinned by secondary legislation.
See Sector regulation: a short guide to the Health and Social Care Bill