Scope for improvement of National Oversight Framework

Responding to the publication by NHS England of the National Oversight Framework 2025/26 the chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles, said:

"NHS trust leaders have long called for a more consistent and transparent approach to how their organisations are assessed and it’s positive that this is front and centre of the new operating framework. It’s also positive that the framework sets out a clear range of agreed metrics for trusts, which will be reviewed next year to take account of the 10 Year Health Plan.

"However, there is also scope for improvement. While it would have been helpful for the capability assessment - which is notable by its absence - to have been published at the same time as the new framework, trust leaders will now hope NHS England undertakes a thorough consultation ahead of publication.

"It is also vital that the next iteration of the framework sets out better measures for ambulance, community and mental health services which reflect the breadth and depth of the services they provide.

"And with the range and volume of NHS services private providers now deliver, trust leaders will rightly wonder why they are not being assessed against the same criteria. Given the current drive to give patients more information about their local NHS health services, this lack of transparency is a cause for concern. NHSE needs to find a way of applying this framework to private providers too."