In response to a number of questions NHS Providers has received on the sustainability and transformation plans (STP) that are being developed by 44 local areas in England, NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said:

“There is now a clear and widening gap between what the NHS is required to deliver and the funding available, and this will only get worse as overall funding increases drop from next year. That is why we are supporting local health and social care services coming together as part of the sustainability and transformation planning process to work out what a sustainable future will look like for care services. It’s important that everyone supports this process as the best means of achieving a sustainable health and care system.

Good planning between organisations will identify what those working in the NHS know – some services just don't have the right workload or staff to maintain the quality of care that patients now expect. Making sure these services are sustainable is one part of getting the service fit for the future – both clinically and financially. This needs commitments from commissioners, providers, clinicians as well as full engagement with the public. The STP process can provide a focus for these hard but realistic discussions. We know this won’t be easy but we believe this is the best shot the service has at making the necessary changes to the way care services are delivered.

“What is also important is that the sustainability and transformation planning process is effectively governed – this is vital given that we are pursuing the move to integrated, locally led care, at high speed. This means developing a more robust approach to governance between organisations and being clearer on lines of accountability at the local system level.”