NHS Ayrshire and Arran in crisis after report

Overcrowding, overspending, under- staffed, under- funded and under pressure.

Just some of the problems faced by NHS Ayrshire and Arran, according to damning new findings.

Now the health board’s chief executive has admitted there is a “need for improvement” following the Audit Scotland report.

John Burns said this week: “Due to ongoing demands and cost pressures, we will not achieve financial balance in 2016- 17.

“We are working closely with our partners to provide better outcomes and value for money for the communities we serve.”

Among the problems highlighted was an acute budget overspend of £ 8.5m and a 13.9 per cent vacancy rate for nursing and midwifery in the health board.

And spending on temporary staff more than doubled.

Findings also uncovered a breaking of normal accounting practice to try and stem the flow of cash being lost.

Auditors concluded this was “not an acceptable approach” by the board to achieve its financial targets.

Worringly, the report also highlighted a wideranging need for structural improvements of buildings, as well as problems with a “high level” of overcrowding.

More than 60 per cent of NHS Ayrshire and Arran buildings were found to be 30 years and older, needing a “number of improvements,” with more than 50 per cent of buildings requiring a level of investment to improve their condition.

And, along with NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Highland, the health board was highlighted as one that “particularly struggled to meet performance targets”.

Mr Burns added: “Recent years have seen an increasing demand for services across the whole health and social care system.

“The increased demand has resulted in increased pressures on our acute services.

“To accommodate this increase we, at times, had to open additional beds at short notice – which resulted in additional expenditure over budget.

“We are one of the top performing boards in Scotland in cancer treatment times and delayed discharges.

“Consistently more than 97 per cent of our cancer patients are treated within 31 days and more than 90 per cent of patients referred with a suspicion of cancer are seen and treated within 62 days.

“Average numbers for monthly delayed discharges for more than two weeks were lower in NHS Ayrshire & Arran during 2015- 16 than in most other boards across Scotland.”

However, the problems identified in this year’s report are not unique to the health board, with similar problems highlighted in the previous report.

The 2014/ 15 Audit Scotland report revealed that the health board needed loans from the Scottish Government to break even.

It also found NHS Ayrshire & Arran to be the lowest performing board with just 78 per cent of key performance targets met.

And the findings for 2014/ 15 showed the health board to be just one of two – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde being the other – to be below 90 per cent in meeting the four- hour accident and emergency waiting time standard of 98 per cent.