The NHS Standard Contract

Regional Voices has responded to the NHS England response to the consultation results on the 2015/16 Standard Contract on issues that impact on the VCS sector. In particular, these issues relate to tailoring the contract for different service types, grant agreements, and staff engagement and equality.

Particularly concerning is the move away from developing a light touch alternative to the Standard Contract for smaller VCS providers, instead offering to develop a standard grants template. Regional Voices would welcome a move to more VCS services being funded by grants, but does not think that this will achieve that.

For further information and to download a paper outlining what NHS England asked, what they heard and Regional Voices reflections on this visit www.regionalvoices.org/VCSE-standardcontract.