North East Strategic Health Authority

UPDATE: Organisation no longer exists following the Health and Social Care act (2013) coming into force in April 2013. These pages are therefore obsolete.We are one of ten strategic health authorities in England and are accountable to the Department of Health. We are a regional body and, as such, play a pivotal role in implementing national Department of Health policies in the north east. North East Strategic Health Authority is responsible for making sure that health services in the region are fit for purpose, well planned, high quality and meet all Department of Health targets.Through its governance structure the organisation has to provide clear leadership on a number of issues ranging from quality of care and customer experience to performance measures and improvement targets. A key part of our work is to liaise with the local NHS on behalf of central government, to ensure a clear understanding, and achievement of, main priorities and targets. We are also responsible for performance managing local primary care trusts and all non-foundation trust NHS organisations. Our business plan provides a framework for prioritising our work and resources and provides clear direction for our business.The functions of the strategic health authority include: * Clinical governance * Commissioning development * Communications * Research and development including evaluation * Finance and assurance * Market and provider development * Workforce development and planning * Operational and performance management * Primary care development * Productivity * Programme integration * Programme management for Connecting for Health * Public health/emergency planning * Strategic planning * Whole system development, including clinical networks