Website of the Department of Health

The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2008/9

The Operating Framework sets out a brief overview of the priorities for the NHS next year. It is accompanied by annexes (some part of the document, some virtual) which provide more detail on the priorities, how they are measured and how the new arrangements for managing the system will work.

The 2008-09 Operating Framework sets out:

1. The health and service priorities for the year ahead:  freeing up the front line by moving towards local stretch targets, whilst delivering on national priorities.  2008/09 is the start of the next three-year planning round.  In this context, the Operating framework sets out the priorities and planning framework for the NHS for the 2008/09 financial year, within the context of the 3 year CSR period 2008/09 – 2010/11;
2. The reform levers and enabling strategies:  reform with a purpose – to improve services.  The focus will be on developing world class commissioning as the key agent for change on behalf of patients and the public, using the full range of levers and incentives to transform services and improve outcomes;
3. The financial regime:  setting out a framework that fully supports reform goals and incentivises transformational improvements in services within available resources.  Key to this will be the need to sustain the surpluses the NHS is on track to deliver;
4. The business processes:  ensuring a business-like and transparent approach to planning that supports locally led decisions whilst providing accountability.  There is a strong emphasis on genuine partnership working at a local level with local government and other partners to ensure that local health and wellbeing needs are better understood and addressed in partnership.

• Download The NHS in England: operating framework for 2008-09 - this includes Annexes A, B and C (updated 31 January 2008) (PDF, 1108K)
• Download PCT allocations for 2008/09 (PDF, 22K)