Part 11Property and finance

Chapter 6Finance

F1Clinical commissioning groups

223KPayments in respect of quality

(1)

The Board may, after the end of a financial year, make a payment to a clinical commissioning group.

(2)

For the purpose of determining whether to make a payment under subsection (1) and (if so) the amount of the payment, the Board must take into account at least one of the following factors—

(a)

the quality of relevant services provided during the financial year;

(b)

any improvement in the quality of relevant services provided during that year (in comparison to the quality of relevant services provided during previous financial years);

(c)

the outcomes identified during the financial year as having been achieved from the provision at any time of relevant services;

(d)

any improvement in the outcomes identified during that financial year as having been so achieved (in comparison to the outcomes identified during previous financial years as having been so achieved).

(3)

For that purpose, the Board may also take into account either or both of the following factors—

(a)

relevant inequalities identified during that year;

(b)

any reduction in relevant inequalities identified during that year (in comparison to relevant inequalities identified during previous financial years).

(4)

Regulations may make provision as to the principles or other matters that the Board must or may take into account in assessing any factor mentioned in subsection (2) or (3).

(5)

Regulations may provide that, in prescribed circumstances, the Board may, if it considers it appropriate to do so—

(a)

not make a payment that would otherwise be made to a clinical commissioning group under subsection (1), or

(b)

reduce the amount of such a payment.

(6)

Regulations may make provision as to how payments under subsection (1) may be spent (which may include provision as to circumstances in which the whole or part of any such payments may be distributed to members of the clinical commissioning group).

(7)

A clinical commissioning group must publish an explanation of how the group has spent any payment made to it under subsection (1).

(8)

In this section—

“relevant services” means services provided in pursuance of arrangements made by the clinical commissioning group—

(a)

under section 3 or 3A or Schedule 1, or

(b)

by virtue of section 7A;

“relevant inequalities” means inequalities between the persons for whose benefit relevant services are at any time provided with respect to—

(a)

their ability to access the services, or

(b)

the outcomes achieved for them by their provision.