South West shouts about its success as handover looms

It reads rather like one long pat on the back.

But why not, when the achievements are many? The strategic health authority inherited a deficit of £174m in 2005-06 but by the following year reported a surplus of £55m and has continued to finish well in the black every year since. In fact, the document noted triumphantly there had been no reported deficits in any NHS South West organisation since 2006-07.

All this comes against a backdrop of improving quality and some of the best performance in the country on a range of measures. The message to the incoming clinical commissioning groups is clear: don’t mess this up.

The document estimates the region’s original 26 pathfinder CCGs will have reduced to 20 by the time of authorisation. CCGs may find some useful advice in the section on service change in which the SHA congratulates itself for “managing successfully” and advises on how to avoid the need for a formal public consultation. It notes it has undertaken few consultations by employing the “Gateway mechanism” which involves early engagement with council overview and scrutiny committees.

Of the nine trusts in the region yet to achieve foundation status, Plymouth Hospital and Devon Partnership are highlighted as needing external support to deal with “quality, financial or performance issues”.

However, there is little detail about what form that support may take. For the nitty gritty of that, it seems we will have to wait for the publication of PCT cluster handover documents in a couple of weeks.