Tag: NHS Peterborough

Labour Lord Hunt On Monitor’s Rescue Plan For Peterborough City Hospital

08:18 Friday 13th September 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: More efficiency savings and better use of all the Hospital’s resources will help dig Peterborough City Hospital out of the financial soup. That’s according to officials from the health service regulator Monitor, who laid out their plan to sort out the Hospital’s money worries yesterday. David Bennett is the CEO of Monitor. He says they have faith in the measures they’re about to put in place. (TAPE)
DAVID BENNETT: We are the ones who are going to have to explain to the Department of Health why it is they’re going to have to continue to provide for maybe thirty years a continuing subsidy. So it’s essential that we can reassure ourselves and the Department everything has been done that can reasonably be done to minimise the amount of that subsidy. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well the Trust running the Hospital currently suffers from a yearly deficit of course of nearly £40 million. The difficulties started with the infamous signing of the Private Finance Initiative to get the money to actually build the Hospital, money that needs to be paid back of course, over this incredible thirty one years. Now under the terms of the recovery plan, parts of the Hospital may have to be leased out to private providers, to help plug the financial gap. Lord Hunt is Labour’s Deputy Leader at the Lords, and their Spokesman on the NHS. Morning.
LORD HUNT: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: How much do you think Labour’s PFI policy had to do with the troubles that we’re in in Peterborough now? Continue reading “Labour Lord Hunt On Monitor’s Rescue Plan For Peterborough City Hospital”

Green Condemnation Of NHS Contracts With Private Health Care Consortia

17:15 Friday 13th September 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: The Leader of the Green Party has launched a fierce attack on the private health companies bidding to run elderly care services in Cambridgeshire. Four firms, Capita, Serco, United Health and Virgin Healthcare have been shortlisted for the £800 million contract. Natalie Bennett told the Green’s Annual Conference in Brighton the Party opposed what she calls corporate bloodsuckers and jewel thieves, making profits from the NHS. (TAPE)
Continue reading “Green Condemnation Of NHS Contracts With Private Health Care Consortia”

The London Stansted Cambridge Corridor Bid And The Reality of Rail

08:20 Tuesday 11th June 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A new group launches today, aimed at improving links between Cambridge, London and Stansted Airport. It’s called the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor Consortium, or for short LSCCC. Business leaders and MPs are meeting in London today for the official launch. Steven King is the Deputy Director of the LSCCC. He says better transport links are one of their main aims. (TAPE)
STEVEN KING: One of our first dividends already is the railway line. It’s ridiculous that it takes so long to get from Cambridge to Liverpool Street, and also it’s absolutely ridiculous that there’s only one train an hour between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. So we’ve already extracted from the Mayor of London about £27 miilion to upgrade that line. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: But of course transport doesn’t just mean trains. The group is also looking to improve how Stansted serves the area, meaning possibly introducing more long-haul flight. Jeanette Walker is from the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. She says that would be a big help for many hi-tech companies in the city and beyond. (TAPE)
JEANETTE WALKER: They may be based in Cambridge, but it’s likely that their customers, their investors, perhaps the scientific advisers and collaboraters, will be located overseas. And that’s why having quick and easy access to international airports is crucial. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well listening to all that is George Freeman, MP for Mid-Norfolk. He recently called for Cambridge to receive a £1 billion Government investment now, to ensure its continued growth. George, morning.
GEORGE FREEMAN: Morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Why so much money for Cambridge? Continue reading “The London Stansted Cambridge Corridor Bid And The Reality of Rail”

Peterborough NHS Monitor Report – MP Meets Minister

17:07 Friday 7th June 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Peterborough and Stamford NHS Foundation Trust has been told it’s financially unsustainable in its current form. A report from Monitor says the Trust will continue to operate at a deficit of at least £38 million each year for the next five years. It’s also been suggested they would not be able to pay its staff or buy any more medical supplies if the Department of Health does not intervene. Well let’s put this in some context. Here’s our reporter Alex Harris. Alex, tell us what’s been going on.
ALEX HARRIS: Well the new Peterborough Hospital opened three years ago, and was built with Private Finance Initiative money, in a deal signed off by Labour back in 2007. It was a decision given the go ahead by the East of England Strategic Health Authority and Trust bosses, but that decision turned out to be costly. The Trust found itself battling a multi-million pound debt, as it still is, with the failure to shift the old site of the hospital, which remains unsold. Now the Trust has received a number of Government bail-outs, which the taxpayers are paying to keep the Trust afloat. These are to the tune of £2 million a month for the next 30 years or so. Well clinicians and MPs have maintained throughout however that patients care has not suffered, but finances are a different matter, and a report that we will be seeing today compiled by Price Waterhouse Cooper says that while the Hospital is deemed clinically sound, it is financially unstable in its current form. It’s deficit has reduced, and at the end of the 2012 financial year it stood at £45 million. It’s come down to £37 million, but that deficit will continue. And for the next five years, the report says it will rack up a deficit of at least £38 million every year. But perhaps most worryingly is the long term prognosis of the Trust’s finances. The report says that without future bailouts, without more Government intervention, the Trust will not be able to pay staff salaries, and will not be able to pay for medicines.
CHRIS MANN: Alex Harris with that background report. Well let’s find out more about this. Stewart Jackson is the Conservative MP for Peterborough. Hello Stewart.
STEWART JACKSON: Good afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: Talk to you in just a moment or two, but first of all, Dr Peter Reading is the Interim Chief Executive of Peterborough and Stamford NHS Trust. Hello Peter.
PETER READING: Good afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: Truly frightening numbers. A massive deficit. What’s the future? Continue reading “Peterborough NHS Monitor Report – MP Meets Minister”

New Ways To Tackle Capacity Issues At Addenbrookes And Peterborough City Hospital

08:07 Thursday 18th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The Patients Association has criticised a new initiative which uses financial incentives to cut down on bed blocking at one of Cambridgeshire’s biggest hospitals. Wards at Addenbrookes are being offered money if they manage to discharge two patients by 10am every day. Last month there was an average of 76 delayed transfers of care, with an average of 277 delayed days. Now whilst the new policy may help to ease the pressure on beds, and guard against so many cancelled operations and appointments, is it always in the best interests of the patients, especially given the strain on care in the community? Well Catherine Murphy is Chief Execuive of the Patients Association. Earlier she told me why the Association was vehemently against the idea. Continue reading “New Ways To Tackle Capacity Issues At Addenbrookes And Peterborough City Hospital”

Peterborough Hospital Faces Multiple Issues – Dr Peter Reading

08:12 Wednesday 13th March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Now there are accusations this morning that Peterborough City Hospital just isn’t big enough. The claims by Unison follow the cancellation of 38 operations this week due to a shortage of beds. It’s not just Peterborough City Hospital that’s affected. It’s Addenbrookes too that says that due to an exceptionally busy Emergency Department earlier this week, 37 operations have had to be rearranged. Well Phil Green is the Regional Organiser for Unison. He says that Peterborough Hospital is not fit for purpose. (TAPE)
PHIL GREEN: The Peterborough City Hospital was always built too small. And considering the cost of it that’s unforgivable really. We said at the time that the Hospital was going to be too small, that being funded by PFI it was going to cost far too much. And we said again the same recently. .. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: We’ve got Dr Peter Reading, Interim Chief Executive at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals with us right now. Let’s get to the bottom of this. What is going on? Because that’s not acceptable, is it? Continue reading “Peterborough Hospital Faces Multiple Issues – Dr Peter Reading”

Peterborough Hospital Bed Shortage Again

17:22 Monday 11th March 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: Ten planned operations have been cancelled today at Peterborough City Hospital. 24 planned operations have been cancelled for tomorrow. It’s after Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust declared a major internal incident and a shortage of available beds. The Trust says there’s still an unusually higher than usual number of people being admitted via A&E, and people are being admitted needing treatment for longer. It’s not the first time the Hospital has faced a shortage of this kind. Chris Wilkinson is Director of Care Quality and Chief Nurse at Peterborough City Hospital, and joins us now .. I spoke to someone I think just a couple of weeks ago, and again in January about a similar situation. Just explain what’s going on please. Continue reading “Peterborough Hospital Bed Shortage Again”

Catastrophic PFI Contracts Threaten Cambridgeshire Health Services

08:24 Thursday 7th February 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: MPs have delivered their verdict on what has been described as one of the worst reports ever seen within the NHS. “Catastrophic” was a word used to describe the Private Finance Initiative for Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust. The future of two of the county’s hospitals is inow in doubt, although we have heard this morning that Peterborough will not be closed. Stewart Jackson MP for Peterborough has that guarantee from the Health Minister. But regional health bosses and the Labour Government have been blamed for what went wrong here. Earlier, MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson, who called for the investigation by the Public Accounts Committee, had this to say. (TAPE)
STEWART JACKSON: I’ve had a personal guarantee from Secretary of State that Peterborough Hospital will not be closed. It’s not a situation where either of the hospitals are likely to be closed. But there will be some difficult decisions, reconfigurations, and some cuts in clinical services, to keep jobs and clinical care at the Hospital. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: He also went on to say he didn’t think either hospital would close. But he went on to blame other people for what was going on, including the last Labour Government, and said that Andy Burnham, the Health Minister at the time, needs to be called to account. Well we can speak to Ed Murphy. He was the Labour Parliamentary Candidate in Peterborough at the least election. So Labour have to shoulder some blame here Ed, for what they did, and particularly Andy Burnham. Continue reading “Catastrophic PFI Contracts Threaten Cambridgeshire Health Services”