August 9, 2019 3.59 pm This story is over 55 months old

Local Democracy Weekly: Prime Minister’s Boston A&E cash is not enough

It won’t solve all ULHT’s problems
Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

It’s going to take more than a visit from the Prime Minister and an announcement of new funding for Boston Pilgrim Hospital to fix the problems at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust.

Boris Johnson made a visit to the county earlier this week and told the country that more funding will be given to the health service.

The £21 million given to Boston will go some way to expanding the department and relieving pressure on staff and waiting times.

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It was an announcement welcomed by recently appointed chief executive, Andrew Morgan.

But, as he noted in an interview with the Lincolnshire Reporter, further funding will be needed to cover much needed work to Lincoln A&E and a backlog of maintenance.

That’s not to say that the trust is not grateful, it is a welcome move to help an already overcrowded Boston emergency department.

However Mr Johnson and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, can expect to hear a lot more from Mr Morgan.

Andrew Morgan, chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. Picture: Calvin Robinson.

The new CEO, who is in place temporarily until March next year, set his stall out this week and pledged to “get his fair share of the national cake”.

We all know the problems that have plagued the trust for years, such as waiting times, staff recruitment and the organisation being in both quality and financial special measures.

Much of the issues can be remedied by improvements to the hospital buildings, which have a capital bill that stretches into the hundreds of millions.

“I want a big share of the national cake as I can get my hands on and I will use MPs, county council and anyone else I can speak to to lobby for my share as I would see it of that national cake,” declared Mr Morgan.

And that will be his job for the foreseeable future.

The health service is publicly funded at the end of the day, which means trust’s can only turn to one body when something needs to be improved – the government.

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