Tag: NHS Peterborough

Peter Reading On The Financial Crisis At The Peterborough City Hospital

08:08 Tuesday 11th December 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A local MP and member of the Public Accounts Committee has revealed that theatres at Peterborough City Hospital could close,  as the Trust running the hospital continues to struggle with debt. The Hospital, which has been open for two years of course, was funded by that expensive PFI agreement, and has seen the Trust rack up over £50 million of debt, £1 million a month. Now, speaking to us earlier, MP for North East Cambridgeshire Stephen Barclay described the way the new hospital was funded and then managed as “disgraceful and shocking”. (TAPE)
STEPHEN BARCLAY: Well it was quite disgraceful, and it raises serious questions over the performance of senior managers in the NHS, many of whom are paid significant salaries, and their performance has been quite shocking. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well the Trust has had to receive bailout money from the Government in order to stay open, and as Mr Barclay revealed earlier, the Hospital may have to close theatres just to stay afloat. Continue reading “Peter Reading On The Financial Crisis At The Peterborough City Hospital”

The Disastrous Consequences of Private Sector Involvement in the NHS

08:38 Monday 10th December 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: It’s a big day for the chief executives from two Cambridgeshire hospitals. They’re going to face questions from MPs at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee. The politicians will be focusing on the finances of Peterborough City and Hinchinbrooke Hospitals. Earlier we heard from Karen Webb, the Regional Director of the Royal College of Nursing. She says she feels sorry for staff and patients at Peterborough City Hospital, which has debts higher than nearly any other on the whole of the NHS. (TAPE)
KAREN WEBB: The issues are very worrying for the people of Cambridgeshire, because ultimately unless the Government makes some higher political decisions about bailing out all of these private finance initiatives around the country, unless Government takes that decision, the only way forward is going to be to lose staff and cut services, neither of which is in the interests of the people of Cambridgeshire. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well earlier this year Hinchinbrooke Hospital was taken over by a private company of course called Circle, an idea designed to get the hospital better managed and out of debt. Karen doesn’t think that’s working. Well we can speak to the Conservative MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson, who’s going to be on that Public Accounts Committee today. Morning Stewart.
STEWART JACKSON: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: What are you trying to find out here? Why have you called these two guys in? Continue reading “The Disastrous Consequences of Private Sector Involvement in the NHS”

Peterborough City Hospital Is Pauperised Yet The PFIs Continue

08:38 Tuesday 4th December 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

RONNIE BARBOUR: The Chancellor George Osborne is to announce a change to the way private finance initiatives are run in tomorrow’s Autumn Statement. Last week the National Audit Office criticised the private finance scheme at Peterborough City Hospital. The NHS Trust which runs it had a £46 million deficit last year. The Government says the new scheme will be quicker, more transparent and that the taxpayer will now share in any profits. Let’s speak to Dr John Lister from the pressure group London Health Emergency, who wrote a report looking into Peterborough City Hospital. Dr John Lister, good morning to you. Continue reading “Peterborough City Hospital Is Pauperised Yet The PFIs Continue”

Peterborough Hospital PFI – Who Signed It Off?

17:15 Thursday 29th November 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Note: Answer at foot of post

CHRIS MANN: Peterborough City Hospital’s crippling debt is being described as a very serious situation. An investigation by the National Audit Office revealed that Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust had a £46 million deficit last year, one of the worst debt-ridden hospitals in the whole of the Health Service. .. So let’s bring in Dr John Lister now from the pressure group London Health Emergency, who’s written a detailed report looking into Peterborough City Hospital’s PFI. John, hello to you.
JOHN LISTER: Hello there.
CHRIS MANN: You’ve looked at all the hospitals actually in the Eastern Region. So put Peterborough in perspective. It’s the worst, isn’t it? Continue reading “Peterborough Hospital PFI – Who Signed It Off?”

PDH Site Still Derelict As Talks Continue and Costs Mount

07:20 Tuesday 2nd October 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: You’d like a bit of building to be done, wouldn’t you, on the PDH site in Peterborough that’s been derelict for who knows how long?
STEWART JACKSON: Well it’s been empty, that site, since December 2010. And given that the Trust, the Hospital Trust, has got an indicative deficit if they don’t make some pretty big changes, of £54 million, one would have thought that in the last twenty two months they would have got round to actually disposing of the site and start the process of building good quality homes there. Continue reading “PDH Site Still Derelict As Talks Continue and Costs Mount”

Government Damaging The NHS

10:17 Thursday 27th September 2012
Mid Morning Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

RONNIE BARBOUR: Looking for your experiences and thoughts about the NHS this morning, six months on from the Health and Social Care Bill, paving the way for the biggest changes since it was formed in 1948. Cambridgeshire has led the way in giving GPs and private companies a bigger role in our treatment. On line, Martin Booth works at Addenbrookes Hospital, and is a member of Unison. Martin welcome to the programme.
MARTIN BOOTH: Good morning.
RONNIE BARBOUR: Changes are inevitable in all walks of life, but this is quite a massive one. Is your union going to endorse it, embrace it? Continue reading “Government Damaging The NHS”

Councillors Bicker Over Committee Places

07:08 Tuesday 19th June 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A meeting has been held to discuss how the health services which will be inherited by Peterborough City Council next year will be dealt with in the future. The Council will run some of the services currently being operated by NHS Peterborough, when the Trust is abolished next year. Well Nick Sandford is Leader of the LibDems. He was at yesterday’s meeting. We need to start by simplifying this and clarifying it. What services will the City Council be running when it comes over to them next year?
NICK SANDFORD: Good morning Paul. What’s happening is there’s going to be a split really. The Primary Care Trust is being abolished from April 2013. The commissioning services that the Primary Care Trust used to fulfil will go to these new GP consortia, whereas the actual public health responsibilities, that’s the development of a public health strategy, control of drugs, that sort of thing, that will go over to Peterborough City Council. And that aspect of it is something I very much support.
PAUL STAINTON: What are you unhappy about then? Continue reading “Councillors Bicker Over Committee Places”

Peterborough District Hospital Land Sale Preferred Bidder Found

08:07 Wednesday 13th June 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: It’s taken eighteen months, but finally a bidder has been found for the former Peterborough District Hospital site. Since the new hospital opened, the old site in Thorpe Road has been empty, but now the London-based Lands Improvement Holdings are currently in negotiations with the Trust. Last month we heard how the new hospital was left with a budget shortfall of over £54 million, and was struggling to find money to continue operating. Earlier, Peterborough’s MP Stewart Jackson welcomed the news. (TAPE)
STEWART JACKSON: I’m delighted, belatedly, that this project seems to be going ahead, given that, as you quite rightly say, the old Peterborough District Hospital has been empty, and the site vacated, since November 2010. You’d think with that kind of debt hanging round their necks they would have wanted to realise their capital asset as soon as possible. (LIVE)
ANDY GALL: He went on to say that Peterborough is in urgent need of housing, but residents want the right mixture of housing, and the infrastructure to support the project. (TAPE)
STEWART JACKSON: Well they want a mixture of prestigious high-end homes, and they also want more modest shared-equity housing. They don’t want lots of social rented flats near the station. They want the transport infrastructure looked at. (LIVE)
ANDY GALL: Nigel Hards is the Chairman of the Hospital Trust, and we can speak to him now. Good morning Nigel.
NIGEL HARDS: Morning Andy.
ANDY GALL: Why such a delay in getting to this point? Continue reading “Peterborough District Hospital Land Sale Preferred Bidder Found”