Revealed: New oversight ratings for every NHS trust

Each trust has been placed in one of four categories based on the level of support they require from NHS Improvement.

Trusts will be formally categorised next month as part of the regulator’s new “single oversight framework”.

Twenty-two trusts have been placed in segment four (see table below), which indicates they are in special measures due to serious concerns over their finances or the quality of services.

Seventy-four providers are in the third segement, which indicates they are receiving mandated support due to “significant concerns” over performance.

The second segment contains the largest number of organisations, with 106 requiring “potential support”, while 35 trusts in segment one will have “maximum autonomy”. Only five acute trusts are in the top category.

Trusts are assessed against five themes: quality of care; finance and use of resources; operational performance; leadership and improvement capability; and strategic change.

The single oversight framework comes after the effective merger of Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority earlier this year to form NHS Improvement. It will replace separate frameworks that were used for NHS trusts and foundation trusts.

Guidance published last month said the framework was not intended to give “a performance assessment in its own right”.

NHS Improvement said: “This is a first for the NHS provider sector and will enable NHS Improvement to help identify problems within organisations more quickly and offer or flag more proactive support.

“NHS providers in the top category will be encouraged to provide support and advice on best practice to other organisations.”

Proposed categories for every trust