Sponsored by
Fincancial crisis is high on the agenda
THE financial problems of the NHS in Bucks were high on the agenda again on Monday night during the last Vale of Aylesbury Primary Care Trust annual meeting.
Chair Avril Davies said consultants were called in April last year to see if something could be done about the financial deficit.
She said: "Behind this was the undercurrent of merger. A bigger PCT was the only option. This was imposed on us but we were quite ready to meet it."
Lynda Lake-Stewart, acting chief executive, said a great deal of time has been spent during the last year looking at the financial problems and trying to bring the PCT back into balance. At the end of the financial year 2005/6, the PCT had a deficit of 8.8 million.
Colin Foster, director of finance for the PCT, said there were a number of reasons for the overspend.
He said: "We overperformed against certain targets. Some waiting lists were transferred to Hammersmith so we had extra costs there. There is a cost of achieving and there was a continuing increase in continuing care costs of about 1.5 million."
Lee Whitehead, director of commissioning and modernisation, said last year 97 per cent of A & E admissions were seen in four hours. PCTs currently pay for hospital referrals
He said: "We have to balance breaking even with delivering targets and are working closing with our colleagues in the acute trust. Achieving targets early on creates a certain financial pressure."
Hugh Carey asked why it was not possible to accurately forecast how much money is needed for continuing care each year. Lynda Lake-Stewart said there are individual needs around continuing care and there will always be differences.
Mike Hill, a former chairman of the Vale of Aylesbury Patient Public Involvement Forum, said the proposed cuts to health services were draconian. He said there would be a huge reliance on community care commensurate with the growth agenda and the possible consequences for the future were mindblowing.
He said: "The NHS cash is down in terms of percentage so services will begin to suffer enormously."
Mrs Lake-Stewart said a complex and wide financial recovery plan had been drawn up and services were being redesigned to be more efficient and effective.
Mary Buckingham, who works at Buckingham Community Hospital, asked about the future of the buildings.
Graham Robinson, chairman of the Professional Executive Committee, said he hoped that Bucks would be getting some of the 750 million recently announced by Government for investment in these facilities.
He said: "We would like to build a health park in Aylesbury which would have a centre as well as beds and will try and make finances work in that direction." Mrs Lake-Stewart said around 70 per cent of the PCT's budget is spent on staffing costs so it was inevitable things would have to be done in a different way.
This was first published in The Bucks Herald on September 13, 2006
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Aylesbury
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
