News / Monitor requests local price data

Monitor has issued a firm reminder to NHS providers and commissioners that they must provide information on local pricing arrangements.

The regulator has encouraged local prices to support the redesign of services.

Local variations – adjustments to national prices or currencies agreed between commissioners and providers – must be submitted to Monitor and published within 30 days of the contract being signed.

Where a national currency is used as a basis for setting prices locally, these must also be submitted to the sector regulator.

According to the Monitor letter, 2014/15 contracts should have been agreed, but it had so far received few details of local pricing arrangements.

It accepted contracts may be delayed or commissioners were unaware of their obligation to provide the information.

However, it urged commissioners and providers to notify Monitor by 4 July whether all contracts had been signed and, if some have yet to be agreed, the deadline for reaching an agreement and the reason for delay.

Monitor said the information was crucial as it helped improve the design of NHS payment systems to make it work better for patients.

And in its annual plan for 2014/15, it confirmed that, with NHS England, it would develop short- and long-term plans for improving the payment system.

The regulator will also review its processes to give foundation trusts greater scope to innovate and have the freedom to take appropriate levels of risk.

The annual plan added that it would also examine opportunities for integrating and localising healthcare and identify potential new models of care.