NIHR CRN NENC Agreed Funding Model for 2021/22

Contents

Agreed Model for 2021-22

These include the following summarised sections:

• Strategic Funding

Strategic Funding should total 3% of the allocation and should include some monies in relation to the Quality Improvement Incentive Scheme (to be confirmed via Executive Group). This will not total more than 0.5%. Funding could run for longer than 12 months, having first "call" on the next year's Strategic Funding allocation.

• Baseline Allocation & Performance Multiplier

Baseline allocations consist of two parts: a Historic and a variable element. The historic element is a fixed recurrent amount based on 80% of the Complexity Adjusted Recruitment (CAR) activity over 2 years (2017-18 and 2018-19). A variable element is added to this based on Complexity Adjusted Recruitment (CAR) activity over 2 years (2019-20 and 2020-21) applied proportionally to the full baseline allocation (less centrally allocated sums). Up to 10% of this allocation maximum, across an alliance, can be utilised on “back office costs” and this needs to be clearly described in the agreed plan of spend. A budget has been created for both Primary Care and also Non-NHS Settings as a pseudo Partner Organisation. The same principles apply as all other Partner Organisations to these budgets.

• Cap and Collar

The purpose of employing a budget cap and collar is to prevent large year-on-year swings in PO budgets; substantial disinvestment is particularly concerning given the risk of losing experienced research staff. A +5% -5% cap and collar if required will be applied to the allocation for each organisation.

• Host and Core Budget

Combined Host & Core Budget allocation to be 15% of overall allocation.

• Overhead

Overhead to be maintained at 4%.

• Programmed Activities

PA allocations to each Specialty Group will be calculated on CAR for 24 months (2017/18 and 2018/19 as above) plus complexity adjusted studies (CAS) for the same time period, as used last year: (percentage contribution to CAR over 24 months + percentage contribution to CAS)/2. As with previous years, Diabetes and Endocrine allocations have been joined, Health Services Research has been removed. Primary Care has a separate allocation for leadership and Green shoots within their budget. Total allocation is subject to a 2% reduction in funding equalling £1,291,485. Each award is not more than £4,500 per annum. Of this budget 15% (£198,000) has been awarded to Greenshoots. This budget is used to fund Clinical time, green shoots and Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHP) time within agreed guidelines.

• Leadership Awards

As required by the Performance and Operating Framework contract Leadership awards are given for all Specialty Group Leads and Executive members. These amount to a value of £10,000 per Programmed Activity (PA) (i.e. 0.5 day per week per annum). Specialty Group Leads and Executive members are awarded 0.5 PA.
The Clinical Director is awarded 4 PAs and the Deputy Clinical Director is awarded 2 PAs.
Further Leadership roles are remunerated at no more than 0.5 PA