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Hospitals told: don’t treat so many people
High-performing hospitals could £6m deficit
HOSPITALS treating patients too quickly could cost the borough’s health authority £6 million, the New Journal can reveal.
Patients could be made to wait longer than necessary for treatments because Camden Primary Care Trust (PCT) can not afford to pay overperforming hospitals.
University College London Hospital (UCLH) and the Royal Free are in breach of their contracts with the borough’s governing health authority Camden PCT if they treat too many patients.
A letter sent from PCT finance director Lorraine Robjant to Health Scrutiny Committee chairman Councillor David Abrahams confirmed the “main financial pressure” it faces is the “overperformance” of the two hospitals.
Ms Robjant added: “If demand management action is not successful the PCT could have a financial pressure in the region of £6 million”.
She also revealed plans to “decommission services” in the next year to help make ends meet.
The New Journal reported last week how UCLH and the PCT are already in dispute over the issue, which leaves hospitals unpaid for treatments exceeding an agreed quota.
A UCLH spokesman said: “Due to financial constraints on the PCT we’re unable to treat patients as quickly as we could. This is indicative of the position across the NHS. We look forward to additional funding next year in order to achieve the government’s target that all patients are treated within 18 weeks.”
A Royal Free spokeswoman said: “Camden PCT, while concerned about our overperformance, are working with us to understand the reasons for it and have not asked us to change our planned work.”
But PCT chief executive Rob Larkman denied telling hospitals to slow down, saying: “We’ve no plans to ask for minimum waiting lists.”
Financial constraints imposed by the NHS have forced the PCT to make tough decisions.
In the past year, the trust has had £10.5 million topsliced from its budget in March, a further £1.2 million taken off in July, £385,000 cut from its training budget in July and a £1.7 million shortfall in central budget allocation in August.
Health Scrutiny chairman Cllr Abrahams said: “While we accept the PCT is under an obligation to keep within its budget the health scrutiny committee will want to be satisfied that any “demand management action” should not damage patient care. We would be concerned if budget constraints prevented Camden residents being treated as quickly as possible.”
Councillor Abrahams has also written to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt on behalf of the scrutiny committee to express concern over the way budgets have been repeatedly slashed this year.
He warned: “There are real consequences for service provision and for training of doctors, nurses and associated professionals.” |
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