Monitor (NHS)

Monitor was an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health in the UK, responsible for overseeing the NHS foundation trusts, independent providers of NHS-funded care and the NHS procurement, patient choice and competition regulations. It was merged with the NHS Trust Development Authority to form NHS Improvement on 1 April 2016.

History

Monitor was established in January 2004 under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. Its primary role was to authorise and regulate NHS foundation trusts, a new type of NHS hospital with significant managerial and financial freedom compared to existing NHS trusts.

Role and Responsibilities

Monitor's role was to protect and promote the interests of patients by ensuring that the whole sector works for their benefit. Monitor's responsibilities included:

• Ensuring NHS foundation trusts were well-led so that they could deliver quality care on a sustainable basis
• Ensuring choice and competition operate in the best interests of patients
• Enabling integrated care

Merger

On 1 April 2016, Monitor was merged with the NHS Trust Development Authority to form NHS Improvement. The merger was part of a series of changes to the NHS's regulatory architecture proposed by the NHS Five Year Forward View in 2014.

See Also

• NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS Trust Development Authority
• NHS Improvement
• Department of Health