‘There’s not enough cash to fund hospital’s controversial shake-up’
A NEW Huddersfield hospital will most likely be funded by another PFI loan, Yorkshire NHS chief Mike Ramsden has said.
The new ‘local’ Hands Off HRI chairman says the chance of Huddersfield health chiefs securing sufficient cash for their controversial hospital shake-up is ‘negligible.’
Mr Ramsden, who is soon to retire as chief executive of a Hull hospital trust, says it is far more likely that local health chiefs will have to take out another Private Finance Initiative loan.
The PFI used to build Calderdale Royal Infirmary, Halifax, will cost Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust £774m in repayments – for a hospital built for £64m.
Mr Ramsden (right), who’s originally from Huddersfield, said: “The likelihood of NHS capital being available on that scale is negligible so the trust would have to pursue a PFI route.”
He added the controversial Right Care Right Time Right Place (RCRTRP) plan, which would centralise emergency care in Halifax, had many hurdles to jump.
Mr Ramsden said senior NHS bosses would need assurance that the plan was financially as well as clinically watertight.
He said: “The NHS regulators would have to be convinced about the business case. It won’t be easy, and even if they are convinced about the full business case, there’s the small matter of finding several hundred million pounds.” Mr Ramsden said the large scale reduction in medical capacity, as proposed in the RCRTRP plan, was likely to raise the eyebrows of national NHS chiefs.
He said: “They are likely to want assurance about all aspects, finance and capacity. “The plans are built on an assumed reduction over five years of 30% medical capacity.
“I don’t know of anywhere where such a reduction has been contemplated, let alone delivered.”
Mr Ramsden said the Clinical Commissioning Groups’ (CCGs) assumption that community health services would reduce the load on hospitals was flimsy.
He added: “The CCGs are assuming that community-based alternatives will divert work and prevent admissions.
“But how will that be funded?
“I think regulators, if satisfied by all aspects of the full business case, would say go ahead.
“The trust would then have to try to secure a PFI partner through a competitive process.”
He added: “The international evidence base for communitybased alternatives to emergency departments is very limited. One of the CCG reps said they want to be pioneers. I think local people would rather have plans based on sound evidence.” Don’t miss the breathtaking colour and floral magic of the world famous Keukenhof Gardens, a full day in the lively Dutch capital Amsterdam, and a visit to the beautiful Belgian city of Bruges. Entrance to Keukenhof Gardens A visit to Amsterdam A visit to picturesque Bruges Three nights’ three-star standard bed and continental breakfast hotel accommodation Return coach travel and Channel crossings Escorted by a friendly tour manager These holidays are organised & operated by Newmarket Promotions Ltd. ABTA V787X. Subject to availability. Single supplements apply. Standard phone charges.