s 223K Payments in respect of quality
(1) NHS England may, after the end of a financial year, make a payment to an integrated care board . (2) For the purpose of determining whether to make a payment under subsection (1) and (if so) the amount of the payment, NHS England must take into account at least one of the following factors— (a) the quality of relevant services provided during the financial year; (b) any improvement in the quality of relevant services provided during that year (in comparison to the quality of relevant services provided during previous financial years); (c) the outcomes identified during the financial year as having been achieved from the provision at any time of relevant services; (d) any improvement in the outcomes identified during that financial year as having been so achieved (in comparison to the outcomes identified during previous financial years as having been so achieved). (3) For that purpose, NHS England may also take into account either or both of the following factors— (a) relevant inequalities identified during that year; (b) any reduction in relevant inequalities identified during that year (in comparison to relevant inequalities identified during previous financial years). (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6) Regulations may make provision as to how payments under subsection (1) may be spent .... (7) An integrated care board must publish an explanation of how the board has spent any payment made to it under subsection (1). (8) In this section— “ relevant services ” means services provided in pursuance of arrangements made by the integrated care board in the exercise of its functions by virtue of this Act; “ relevant inequalities ” means inequalities between the persons for whose benefit relevant services are at any time provided with respect to— their ability to access the services, or the outcomes achieved for them by their provision.