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NHS England is doing a deep dive into gas and electricity spend by trusts and its findings so far are no laughing matter.

It has found a “lack of energy supply resilience” and “unwarranted price variations” among trusts. There has been “insufficient access to energy expertise” and a “reliance on fossil fuel energy sources”.

The process is intended “to review and drive an optimal solution across the NHS estate”. It found 60 per cent of trusts have an energy manager while 38 per cent of trusts overspend on energy – something the NHSE officials attribute to those trusts not having an energy manager.

The solution? Centralisation. In the near term that means developing “a recommended route to market” for trusts. If past form is anything to go buy, a strong indication that the 45 per cent of trusts not buying their electricity and gas through Crown Commercial Services should join their peers and sign on with it.

This will sit alongside “[standardised] energy contract specifications for a consistent approach regardless of route to market”. Longer term, the aim is to create an “energy supply solution which minimises future financial uncertainty”.

Universal challenge

A new universal ”community recovery” service is being developed by NHSE, HSJ has revealed.

The new service would have a 24-hour target to provide “step down” care once a patient is deemed ready to leave hospital care.

The project, revealed in a presentation to an NHSE webinar seen by HSJ, comes as delayed discharges are causing major problems with hospital capacity – with one in seven hospital inpatients in August suffering delayed discharges.

However, this project is unlikely to provide immediate help for this winter, as NHSE said the project will be tested and evaluated “over the next 12 months.” The aim is that, in five years, all patients requiring rehabilitation care to leave hospital will receive this within 24 hours of being deemed ready for discharge.

NHSE has also said the new services would require “substantial economic modelling to show return on investment,” but said it is “imperative” that post-discharge services increase in capacity and quality to improve outcomes for patients.

Also on hsj.co.uk today

There was no NHS cheer at last week’s Conservative party conference but it was heartening to hear new public health minister Caroline Johnson speaking up about the challenges facing rural health economies, writes James Illman in his Recovery Watch expert briefing. And in comment, Matthew Taylor breaks down the nuances of NHSE’s highly anticipated new operating model.