Monday, October 5 at 3.00pm – The Health Service Journal has just announced: “Trusts continue to forecast £2billion deficit as overspending worsens.”
With the delayed issue – apparently on government orders – of statistics on the NHS’ current financial crisis, local problems have come into focus with the Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s situation and that at Great Western Hospitals Foundation Trust (GWH.)
GWH is making progress in reducing their projected deficit for this financial year. Their forecast put this deficit at £18.7 million, but it is now down to £14 million – and they are aiming to get it to £12 million.
Not only is GWH working with the regulator Monitor to make more savings, at the end of last month they were inspected by a large team from Care Quality Commission. The results of the latter will be known early in 2016.
August was the seventh month running that GWH’s expenditure has been below the figure in their beginning of year forecast.
One of the main areas of high spending is in keeping nursing numbers at safe levels with agency staff. The most expensive agency has already been taken off GWH’s books. That agency provides ‘very high calibre’ nurses and their absence has already had an impact on wards – where nursing numbers are down anyway.
Some nurses at the Trust have left to join agencies – taking advantage of higher pay and more flexible hours. Pay for Trust nurses is caught by the government’s one per cent cap.
Recruitment of appropriately trained staff remains a major problem. GWH still has 313 vacancies (whole time equivalent) – which is 6.57 per cent of their total establishment. The Trust is planning a further recruitment campaign in Spain, Portugal and Italy – and may have to go to the Philippines later in the year.