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Quality Accounts for NHS trusts and foundation trusts – changes to reporting deadlines for 2019/20

Details

With NHS trusts and foundation trusts focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is recognition on the part of government that ‘business as usual’ processes need to adapt to this reality. One component of the annual reporting cycle is the production of Quality Accounts. The National Health Service (Quality Accounts) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 (the Amendment) came into force on 29 April 2020 and serve to relax deadlines for the production of trusts’ Quality Accounts.  

In essence, the amendments modify the National Health Service (Quality Accounts) Regulations 2010 and extend trusts’ deadline for submission of their draft 2019/20 quality accounts to NHS England, CCGs, local Healthwatch organisations and Overview and Scrutiny committees. It is now lawful under the amended regulations for these to be submitted after 1 April 2020, and there is no prescribed deadline in the regulations by which draft accounts must be submitted.  

The deadline for online publication of 2019/20 Quality Accounts and their submission to the Secretary of State is also extended beyond 30 June 2020, with no prescribed date for compliance set out in the regulations.  
 
It should be noted that these amendments only concern Quality Accounts relating to the reporting period ending on 31 March 2020 and they are not expected to apply indefinitely. NHS England and Improvement have also recommended that, while not prescribed by legislation, trusts should aim to provide draft accounts to stakeholders by 15 October 2020 and finalise these for publication by 15 December 2020.  
 
If you have any concerns arising out of this Amendment, COVID-19 more generally or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team who will be happy to assist.

For further updates and other articles discussing the impact of the coronavirus please view our coronavirus hub.

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