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NHS Plus What is NHS Plus? NHS Plus is a network of NHS Occupational Health Services which are prepared to sell at least some Occupational Health Services to the private sector or other parts of the public sector. They are supported by a website - www.nhsplus.nhs.uk Why isn't NHS Plus free? Occupational Health services are not - and never have been - part of the statutory NHS provision. However, as a major employer, the NHS must provide occupational health services to its own staff. In many cases, one occupational health department serves several Trusts. Consequently, some are large enough to have already offered their occupational health services to the private sector as a way of generating income for the NHS. Where did the idea for NHS Plus begin? NHS Plus was first mentioned on 8 March 2000 as an idea in a speech by Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn at the London School of Economics. At that stage, he suggested simply that for NHS Occupational Health Departments to sell occupational health services to small and medium enterprises (SME's) was a real "win-win" - it both generated income for the NHS and increased the amount of occupational health provision available for SME's. He suggested that it would be good to see this service develop and that it might be called NHS Plus. How large is NHS Plus? There are already over 100 NHS Occupational Health Departments signed up as members of NHS Plus. Together they have a turnover of well over £10 million although there is a massive variation in size between the smallest departments - generating only a few thousand pounds - and the largest which generates several hundred thousand. How good is the NHS Plus service? NHS Plus will operate to quality standards of service prepared and agreed by the main professional organisations concerned (e.g. the Faculty of Occupational Medicine). These standards are published on the NHS Plus website. We realise that some NHS Plus sites offer a higher level of service than others to their own NHS staff as well at to outside customers, although every NHS Plus site has a signed agreement from their Trust Chief Executive that they are providing a satisfactory service to NHS staff. What will NHS Plus income be used for? Under the rules of income generation, the money made by NHS Plus will go direct to the Trust for investment in improved NHS Services. We expect that the money will be used first to improve occupational health services. Is NHS Plus in competition with the private sector? No. There is a vast amount of unmet need for occupational health services, particularly in the small and medium business sector. Some private sector services offer very specialised services and in some cases NHS Plus will form contracts with them for particular services (e.g. counselling). If individual businesses wish to change from one provider to another they are, or course, free to do so. But NHS Plus is not 'in competition' with other providers. Is there a central organisation for NHS Plus? At the moment, NHS Plus is managed as an Agency
by the Department of Health although it has only a couple of staff and
a very light touch. As it develops we shall be looking to see how best
to support it whilst keeping this light touch. No decision has yet been
taken about longer-term arrangements. |
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All
services described on this site are provided by accredited teams of professionals
who will deal with all enquiries and services direct with the customer.
The Occupational Health and Safety Consortium is an umbrella group dedicated
to communicating a range of services; the Consortium does not provide services
in its own right.
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