ROYAL TRUST £20M IN RED
The NHS trust which runs Calderdale Royal Hospital is facing a multi-million pound deficit and needs government aid to balance the books.
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust expects to be more than £20m in the red by the end of this financial year.
Bosses at the organisation are in talks to secure almost £15m in cash support from the Department of Health - and they must also make £14m in cost savings this year.
The trust, which also runs Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, and is one of dozens of NHS trust’s facing cash problems because of budget cuts and rising demand from patients.
Keith Griffiths, the trust’s director of finance, said: “Like the majority of NHS Trusts across Yorkshire and across the country we are facing financial challenges this year and we are looking at every way we can to eliminate the overspend while at the same time continuing to provide our patients with safe quality care with compassion.
“With this mind our trust continues to invest in nursing recruitment as a priority.”
Halifax MP Holly Lynch said she was worried that financial problems were a threat to accident and emergency care at the hospital.
Health bosses are planning a re-organisation of services at the Calderdale and Huddersfield which could see the A&E department in Halifax close, but last July a public consultation on the proposals was shelved.
Ms Lynch said: “We have to look very carefully at the un- precedented pressures facing the trust, why we are in this position and how we can ensure that emergency healthcare provision is safeguarded.”
During the general election campaign, Prime Minister David Cameron gave assurances that the A&E would not face closure during a visit to the Halifax Courier office.
Ms Lynch said: “I was elected to fight tooth and nail for Calderdale Royal’s A&E and I will be writing to the Prime Minister asking him to clar- ify his position as a matter of urgency.
“Does he intend to keep his election promise or not?”
A report to the last trust board meeting shows the deficit will steadily increase during this year, reaching £20.01m by March 2016.
The deficit figure assumes that £14.05m in savings are made by that time. If the costs of restructuring services to make savings are taken into account, the year-end deficit would be £23m.
The report said talks would be held with Monitor, the government’s health service regulator, over “£14.9m cash support”.
It said: “External cash support will be required to sustain the plan.”
Monitor is expected to visit the trust in the week of June 22.
Mr Griffiths said: “If we secure additional financial assistance from the Department of Health later this year, this will be used to support the services provided to local people.”
In January, Monitor said the trust was in breach of its licence to provide hospital services because of financial problems. At that time the deficit at the end of this year was expected to be £19m.
Latest figures show 77 NHS Foundation Trusts had deficits totalling £349m at the end of 2014-15. Warnings have been made that the NHS faces a £30bn funding gap by 2020 because of government cuts.