Monitor and TDA to join under new chief

The two organisations will not formally merge this year, a move some have called for. However, it was due to be announced today that they would be moving to work much more closely together, HSJ has been told.

They will work under a single chief executive, an appointment which will be made by the Department of Health in the near future. David Bennett has announced he will not take on this joint position on a permanent basis and will step down.

The Department of Health said it wanted to make a new appointment “by the end of the summer”.

The join between the organisation has been described as “a closer relationship”, but details of what this will mean remain unclear.

The DH said in a statement today: “This change will mean that all NHS providers, whether they are foundation trusts or trusts, are under the oversight of one chief executive, overseeing teams working closely together.

“All hospitals need access to the same kinds of support, and should be subject to the same kinds of intervention if their performance isn’t delivering the level of care that patients have a right to expect.” It said that “no changes to the foundation trust model are currently envisaged” and that “we support strongly the principle that NHS organisations should have access to greater freedoms as their delivery for patients and taxpayers improves”.

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Mr Bennett said in a message to FT chief executives this morning: “After more than five years at the helm, I have decided to step down from my role in Monitor. The government has decided that it wants to press ahead and establish a closer relationship between Monitor and TDA and so now is the right time for me to make the move.

“The full details of how the two organisations will work together have yet to be determined, although I can tell you that Monitor is to retain its economic regulation functions as well as its FT role.

“Taking further steps to bring Monitor and the TDA closer together should not come as a surprise. I myself have argued that there is a case for this. Closer working between the two organisations will enable the health system to achieve the best value for money, and deliver the efficiencies and service changes needed for future sustainability.

“I am immensely proud of Monitor as an organisation. Our staff will stay focused on their jobs and continue to do what they do so well as we work our way through this. I will let you know more in due course. In the meantime, I would like to thank you for your support over the last five years.”

TDA chief executive Bob Alexander said: “Throughout this next period, the support and development that we provide and that NHS trusts have told us is so valuable will not change. Our focus remains on the most important issue of all – maintaining and improving patient care. We will support this transition fully over the next period.  We look forward to working more closely with colleagues across the health system to share what we have found to have worked well with NHS trusts.”

Updated at 10.20am to reflect statements by the DH and TDA.