Quality assurance for contracting of education: a delegated system involving consortia of British National Health Service trusts.

With the creation of the market for education, some regional health authorities (RHAs) in England are inclined to formally involve National Health Service (NHS) trusts in decisions with regard to the nature and location of education contracts. This paper describes a delegated system developed for the South East Thames Regional Health Authority and now being introduced within the Eastern Sector of the South Thames Regional Health Authority. Key features of the system include delegated contract review and a quality levels analysis in which the interests of the RHA and trusts (in both individual and consortium configurations) are accommodated.