‘Significant pressures’ sees Lincolnshire NHS Trust placed into financial special measures
A trust which oversees hospitals in Scunthorpe and Grimsby has been placed into financial special measures. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust said that their financial position has deteriorated due to “significant pressures” that are being placed on the services. As a result, it has been forecast that the trust will have a deficit of…
A trust which oversees hospitals in Scunthorpe and Grimsby has been placed into financial special measures.
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust said that their financial position has deteriorated due to “significant pressures” that are being placed on the services.
As a result, it has been forecast that the trust will have a deficit of £30 million by the end of the financial year, as opposed to the planned £12.2 million debt.
Richard Sunley, interim chief executive, said: “Despite our best efforts to reduce our deficit our financial position has continued to deteriorate over the year and has recently worsened due to the significant pressures on our services.
“An increase in non-elective patient activity (i.e A&E attendances) in quarter four and a high medical vacancy rate has led to increased expenditure on nurse staffing and locum doctors.”
According to the trust, the pressures on services has also seen a drop in planned activities (operations and procedures) and therefore income.
Sunley added: “While our cost improvement programme has delivered savings of £12.4 million to date and is expected to deliver £13.7 million by the end of this financial year (4% consistent with 2015-16) our current forecasted deficit for the end of the financial year is £30 million (against a planned deficit of £12.2 million).
“As a result of us being unable to reduce our deficit quickly enough we are being placed in financial special measures.
“NHS Improvement will appoint an improvement director to work with us and will need to agree a financial recovery plan with them.”
MP critical of trust and government
Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin
Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin has said that there can be “no excuse” for the trust not getting things right for residents, but that it needed extra funding and support from central government.
The Labour MP said: “Let me start by saying that the staff who work locally in our NHS are dedicated professionals.
“In the last few weeks when I’ve visited A&E and many of the medical wards I’ve been by the effort of staff on the ground to deliver in the face of ever growing pressures.
“That said, last year when the Care Quality Commission judged the hospital as inadequate I made it clear there can be no excuse for not getting things right for local people.
“Since then I have reiterated my concerns in regular meetings with the trust.
“But financially the NHS is creaking, underfunded by this Conservative government.
“Trusts in financial special measures are supposed to receive a package of support from NHS Improvement designed to achieve rapid financial improvement, whilst maintaining and improving their quality.
“Our hospital trust needs to improve and the government needs to support it to improve.”
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The 32-year-old man and 30-year-old woman arrested in the murder probe of an 11-year-old boy in Lincoln have both been released on police bail, without any charges.
The man was arrested on suspicion of murder and the woman on suspicion of manslaughter after an incident at a house on Geneva Street on St Giles in Lincoln.
Police were called to the house at 10pm on Friday night, January 22.
The 11-year-old boy was found unwell at the scene and was taken to hospital for treatment.
He was pronounced dead a short time later.
At the time Lincolnshire Police said the death was unexplained and it was treated as murder.
The man and the woman arrested at the weekend were released on police bail on Monday evening.
Lincolnshire Police said in a statement on Monday night:
“Once again, we’d like to remind people that this is an active investigation and that an 11-year-old boy has sadly lost his life.
“Speculative comments are not only deeply upsetting to those involved but can potentially undermine our investigation.
“If you have any information that can help, call 101 or email [email protected] quoting incident 472 of January 22.”
Ten people from Boston have been given fines for breaching COVID-19 regulations by driving dangerously in supermarket car parks.
Officers were called after three separate reports of dangerous driving in the car parks of Lidl and Tesco in Wyberton Fen, as well as on Marsh Lane Industrial Estate in Boston.
All three incidents took place and were reported to police between 5pm and 6pm on Sunday, January 24, though it is unsure if they were connected at all.
When officers arrived, the drivers were seen doing donut manoeuvres and racing in the snow.
A total of 10 people were given £200 fines for breaking lockdown guidelines, but this will be reduced to £100 if paid within 14 days, due to all being first time offenders.
As well as the COVID-19 fines, two of the vehicles were also seized as a result of being uninsured, with drivers reported.
A traffic offence report was also submitted after one driver was seen to be driving not just dangerously but out of control.
Inspector Fran Harrod of Lincolnshire Police said: “We would like to thank the public for bringing these incidents of dangerous driving to our attention.
“This is not only extremely dangerous to those taking part but to others in these areas.
“While we continue to engage and explain with the public, this was a blatant breach of the restrictions which will not be tolerated.”
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