Proportionate, risk based regulation is fundamental to building public confidence in the NHS and assuring standards of care for patients and the public. However, it is essential to remember that while regulation plays a role, it cannot substitute for strong and proactive local leadership. It rightly remains the responsibility of NHS provider boards to engender learning cultures, in which frontline staff feel empowered to raise and rectify issues of concern at an early stage.
The below reports outline the results of NHS Providers' annual member surveys on the regulatory regime. Based on these results and the ongoing dialogue we have with our members and the regulators, we explore both the benefits and the burden of regulation experienced by NHS trusts and foundation trusts and consider how the burden may be impacting on their ability to drive improvement and service change, and what needs to change to mitigate this.
