SHA (Strategic Health Authority) Assurance is designed to support the development of SHA capability and capacity and to help SHAs become the best they can be.
In a series of visits during 2009/2010 the Department of Health reviewed every SHA. The letters below outline the Panel's recommendations to us and our response to them.
About SHA Assurance
The process will help the SHA to frame its priorities for organisational development.
This includes ensuring it is best placed to lead and support the region’s health system to continue to deliver high-quality care in a challenging financial climate. The process is an opportunity to learn, and to develop and share good practice.
SHA Assurance has three elements:
Governance: this provides assurance that the SHA understands and fulfils its statutory obligations and there is effective governance within the SHA and across the local health economy.
Performance: this assesses the SHA’s performance and progress against ten performance “arenas”:
- Quality and clinical outcomes
- Operating performance
- Finance and productivity
- Commissioner assurance and development
- Workforce
- Managing choice, co-operation and competition
- Communications and engagement
- Health partnership working
- Informatics
- Health improvement and prevention
Health: Based on surveys, this assesses the SHA, both as an organisation and as a leader, eg, whether the SHA has a clear vision, its behaviours and characteristics, whether it’s a good employer, and its relationships and influence across the region.
The whole process involved a combination of self assessments, submitted evidence, stakeholder and staff surveys and visits from DH directors, who assessed the SHA and met with key stakeholders from the region, SHA staff and the Board.
