Practice 1.1 Define and explain remit to ensure clarity and effective coordination

Examples of notable practice:

Review of structures and functions

The Mental Health Act Commission undertook a radical review of its functions and structures in 2004.  As part of this process, a series of regional roadshows were held informing all relevant NHS and independent providers of its remit and proposed new ways of working. During the same period, three seminars were held, each involving about 40 mental health staff from all the major audit and inspection bodies in order to better understand respective roles.

Coordinating business planning arrangements

The Audit Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection, Healthcare Commission and National Audit Office are working together to develop coordinated and increasingly unified programmes of inspection, audit and review.  In addition, the four organisations are jointly consulting on the 2006/07 national studies programme outlining what studies are being proposed by each individually and where they will be joint studies so that the NHS and others can see the complete programme and how it fits together coherently.
A coordinated approach to audit and inspection in health (pdf 64kb)

Coordinating activity

The Healthcare Commission, Audit Commission and CSCI are seeking to strengthen local joint working so that information about NHS organisations and the risks that they face are properly shared and understood so that work programmes can be effectively coordinated. The three Chief Executives are writing jointly to all staff setting out the joint principles and joint expectations about how staff should work together and the mechanisms for doing so. [link to copy of letter when finalised]

In addition the Audit Commission has established a national NHS Financial Management Advisory Group to advise the Commission on its financial management activities and to help ensure that the financial management work undertaken by members of the group is not duplicated but shared and coordinated.  Organisations represented on the group include DH, the Healthcare Commission, the National Audit Office and Monitor. The group also includes executives and non-executive directors from SHAs, PCTs NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts and leading members of CIPFA and HFMA.