Written question asked by Lord Roberts of Conwy (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Darzi of Denham (Labour) on Tuesday, 22 January 2008.

NHS: Improvement Foundation

Question: Whether the accounts of the NHS Improvement Foundation are subject to examination by the National Audit Office; and, if so, whether they have been examined and approved.

Answer: Department officials have contacted the Improvement Foundation and received detailed written assurances from its chief executive that National Health Service money had not been used to fund the reported activities. The Improvement Foundation is a not-for-profit limited company whose accounts are not subject to examination by the National Audit Office. Its accounts are audited internally by the West Yorkshire Internal Audit consortium and externally by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Based on results from its quality improvement programmes, the Improvement Foundation estimates a return on investment to the NHS of £3 savings for every £1 invested.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 1271; 698 c37WA
Session: 2007-08
Subjects: Audit Cost effectiveness Allowances Finance NHS Improvement Foundation
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk