2.1 The NHS Chief Executive is accountable for the delivery of the QIPP challenge and will hold the NHS to account for doing so. The Department's National Director for Improvement and Efficiency is in charge of the more detailed running of the QIPP challenge, run through a departmental programme management office. The Department has identified four key elements to its QIPP work:
● Planning and monitoring. The Department has worked with strategic health authorities in 2010-11 to support them in developing QIPP savings plans. For 2011-12, strategic health authorities included these plans within their overall integrated plan (covering quality, resources and reform), which is signed off by the Department. The Department will monitor the NHS's progress in delivering QIPP savings (see paragraphs 4.2 to 4.10).
● National policies. The Department has national policy tools to support the QIPP challenge such as a pay freeze for NHS staff and a reduction in the price paid for some NHS services (the tariff).
● Support programme. The Department has established a number of national workstreams to help identify areas where the NHS can improve quality and productivity.
● Communication. The Department considers that communication is central to bring about the cultural change needed across the NHS to deliver the QIPP challenge.