NHS England and NHS Improvement’s NHS System Oversight Framework provides the framework for overseeing systems including providers and identifying potential support needs. The framework looks at five national themes:
- Quality of care, access and outcomes
- Preventing ill health and reducing inequalities
- Finance and use of resources
- People
- Leadership and improvement capability
Based on information from these themes, providers are segmented from 1 to 4, where 4 reflects providers receiving the most support, and 1 reflects providers with maximum autonomy. A foundation trust will only be in segments 3 or 4 where it has been found to be in breach or suspected breach of its licence.
Segmentation
Throughout 2021/22 the Trust has been in segment 1 of the framework. The Trust being in segment 1 indicates that no targeted support has been required.
The Trust operates within the Lincolnshire System which is in Segment 4.
This segmentation information is the Trust’s position as at 31 March 2022. Current segmentation information for NHS trusts and foundation trusts is published on the NHS England/Improvement website.
Finance and use of resources
During 2021/22, financial performance in relation to income and expenditure has been measured in terms of an adjusted surplus/deficit metric. NHS England and Improvement has defined items to be excluded from this metric, which primarily relate to the impact of asset revaluations and depreciation on donated assets.
In addition to income and expenditure performance, liquidity has been a key performance indicator during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been maintained nationally across the NHS by the scheduling of monthly payments in advance throughout the financial year. Due to this approach, the Trust has reported an average month-end liquidity metric of 59.83 days during 2021/22 (days of operating costs held in cash or cash equivalent forms).
