Below is an explanation of how Monitor sits into the overall regulatory set up.

Monitor is one of the bodies regulating and overseeing healthcare in England and sits alongside a number of other bodies and regulators:

The key four as follows:

1. CQC (Care Quality Commission)

2. NHS England

3. NHS Trust Development Authority

4. NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)

Monitor also seeks close collaboration with a large number of stakeholders including:

Providers

Commissioners

Patients and Public

Parliamentarians

Clinicians and staff

Monitor’s main objectives

How will Monitor seek to drive and support improvements in care for patients?

Monitor protects and promotes interests of people who use health care services through:

Making sure public providers are well led

Making sure essential services are maintained

Making sure the NHS payment system promotes quality and efficiency

Making sure choice and competition operate in the best interest of patients

Enabling integrated care

Promote change through high quality analysis and debate

The NHS Provider Licence

The NHS provider licence is Monitor’s main tool for regulating providers of health care services for the NHS.

Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires all providers of health care services for the purposes of the NHS to hold a licence, to be licensed by Monitor, unless exempt.

Exemptions are set out in the exemptions regulations that have been approved by Parliament. These are set out by the Department of Health to ensure that regulation is focused on those providers that have the greatest impact on the health system, whilst limiting the burden on smaller providers.

Independent Providers will need to satisfy themselves whether they are exempt or not.

It is the responsibility of the provider to obtain a licence if they are required to hold one. There are consequences if a provider is not licensed and needs to be.

Monitor cannot advise if an independent provider requires a licence

Applying for a licence

Form accessible from Monitor’s website.

Online form is straightforward with most questions requiring yes/no answers.

The form will be secure, with applicants required to undertake a pre-authentication stage to access the online system fully, so work this into your timescale when applying.

Monitor and the Department of Health will provide guidance to assist providers making their application.

How will Monitor decide whether to grant a licence?

To be granted a licence, providers must:

be registered with the Care Quality Commission as required; and

be led by ‘fit and proper persons’ (for example, their directors must not be undischarged bankrupt or have received a prison sentence of three months or longer in the previous five years).

If a provider disagrees with Monitor’s decision, they may appeal through a formal process on specified grounds.