June 4, 2014 3.53 pm This story is over 117 months old

Lincolnshire hospitals borrowed £26m to pay bills

In the red: United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust needed an extra £26.4 million in order to settle its bills for the financial year.
Photo: File/The Lincolnite

The trust which runs hospitals across Lincolnshire, including Lincoln County Hospital, needed an extra £26.4 million to settle its bills for the financial year.

During 2013/2014 the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT) was run at a financial deficit after it made investments in staffing and care once it was put into ‘special measures’ by the Keogh review last year.

The trust needed an extra £24.5 million to pay for 100 new nurses and more doctors at its three sites.

An additional £1.9 million was needed to pay for cancer treatment up until April 1.

A ULHT spokesperson said: “In 2013/14 the Trust operated at a financial deficit.

“The deficit was higher than that planned at the beginning of the year because of higher levels of spend on doctors and nurses throughout the year.

“For example, we employed over 100 more nurses than in the previous year.

“Following the report of Sir Bruce Keogh’s visiting team we put a lot of our focus on making rapid improvements in the quality of our care and, as a consequence we didn’t make the levels of cost reductions we had planned at the beginning of the year.

“The trust was successful in securing additional cash from the Department of Health in March 2014 to cover the deficit, which allows the trust to continue to pay bills and our staff, and deliver high quality services.

“Prior to March 2014 the trust had been receiving temporary cash support from the Department of Health.

“Looking forward the trust needs eliminate the deficit over time and is working alongside our health and care partners in Lincolnshire health and care to do this.”

In 2013 alone, ULHT paid out more than £7.2 million in obstetrics and maternity compensation relating to medical negligence.