Paying patients helpclear £8m deficit

The Trust also says it can make savings of £16m in 2012/13, whilst adding 23 extra employees to its books, a dramatic turnaround from two years ago when it saved £19m and reduced posts by 289.

To achieve the £16m in savings the Trust says it will cut the length of time patients stay in hospitals, support more patients in the community, restrict staff travel and sell off some of the Trust estate.

The local health service also says it expects to receive an additional £25m in investment this year and that a third of this will go into the new hospital in Enniskillen.

In a statement to the Sentinel the Trust said the new hospital in Fermanagh would create an extra 86 posts. This suggests some posts will be lost elsewhere across the Trust with a net projection of just 23 more employees for the year.

The financial turnaround over the past two years has been significant. Whilst the Trust reported an overall cumulative deficit at September 2010 of £8m, it reported a surplus of £55,000 for 2011/12 and has no cumulative deficit.

Last year the Sentinel reported that the Western Trust expected to axe 289 posts in 2010/11 with nurses the hardest hit.

The paper suggested even deeper cuts were anticipated after the draft budget settlement and the Comprehensive Spending Review 2011-2015.

But according to the Western Trust these cuts are not coming in 2012/13 although plans are currently being developed for the years 2013-2015.

The Trust said it had managed the turnaround by “restricting spending on non-essential areas” and charging private patients and patients from the Republic for care.

“The Western Trust introduced measures during 2010/11 to address its cumulative deficit. These measures included seeking funding, restricting expenditure on non-essential areas and maximising income from other sources such as paying patients and treatment of Health Service Executive (HSE) patients.

“Trust staff have worked hard to bring the Trust into financial balance and continue to do so,” the Trust stated.

The Sentinel asked how the Trust planned to make savings of £16m in 2012/13, whilst adding 23 extra employees to its books.

By comparison, in 2010/11 it saved £19m and reduced posts by 289.

A spokesperson stated: “In addition to a savings target, the Western Trust has been advised that it will receive over £25m in additional investment during 2012/13.

“Over £7.9m of this relates to the new Hospital in Enniskillen (South West Acute Hospital) to cover additional staffing and goods and services costs. This investment will create an additional 86 posts.”

The £16m in savings in 2012/13 will come from a range of sources.

A spokesperson explained: “The Trust has an annual budget of £500m per annum. The savings will be generated from a range of initiatives and reforms which will in turn realise savings.

“These include collaborative working with GPs, reduction in length of stay associated with inpatient services, reform of flows through accident and emergency department, implementation of a new model to support people within the community, procurement initiatives, restrictions on staff travel and review of the Trust’s estate.”