Quality, Efficiency and Value: what Non-Executive Directors need to know

Introduction

NHSScotland is going a through a sustained period of pressure both in terms of available resources but also increasing demand on services. Health care is being challenged to respond to this not through indiscriminate cuts, but by improving efficiency, driving up quality and reducing levels of harm.

Scale of the challenge

Since 2008 NHS Boards have delivered over £1.3 billion of efficiency savings (over 10 per cent of the revenue budget for NHS Boards), which have been reinvested to fund service developments. For the past five years NHS Boards have exceeded their efficiency target of 3 per cent of baseline funding across NHSScotland. NHS Boards delivered these efficiencies at the same time as making significant improvements to the quality of services. NHSScotland's portfolio of work around efficiency and productivity seeks to maximise opportunities for quality improvement whilst ensuring sustainability of services now and in the future.

However, we cannot be complacent. Despite the increases in resources allocated to the NHS; price inflation, increasing demand and the welcome innovations in healthcare technology all lead to huge pressure on our systems.

The future - getting to the third curve

Derek Feeley: Scotland - why quality is the best response to the financial challenge - The Kings Fund, 2012