Hospital bosses have revealed they will be millions of pounds in debt for the foreseeable future – even if Huddersfield’s A&E closes.
Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust (CHFT) has forecast they face ‘a recurrent deficit’ of £9.5m from 2022 onwards, even if full emergency care services are centralised in Halifax.
The trust, which runs Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI) and Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH), Halifax, published the figures in its Five-Year Strategic Plan.
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NHS watchdog Monitor ordered trust bosses to produce the plan, proving it was financially sustainable, after it fell into deficit for the first time last year.
Under the Right Care Right Time Right Place proposals, due to go out for public consultation from next week, Huddersfield will lose its A&E while full emergency care services are centralised at CRH.
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Hospital bosses say this ‘preferred option’ will reduce CHFT’s debt – but it will not bring the trust back into the black.
Paul Chandler, of Monitor, noted that the recurrent deficit was 'unsustainable in the long run' and would be 'incredibly hard' to reduce.
The document says: “The preferred option yields a recurrent deficit of £9.5m from (2021/22) onwards.
“Whilst this represents an improvement of £18m against the (current configuration) deficit of £27.5m in (2021/22)... this option does not return the trust to a break even or surplus position over the forecast period.”
And for CHFT to reach this position it must save £79.8m between 2017 and 2022 and secure £478.8m of external funding, the document says.
While the hospital shake-up will not bring CHFT back into surplus, it will allow the trust to repay its debts – including the £22m a year repayments on a Private Finance Initiative PFI which was used to build the Calderdale hospital.
The document says: “Subject to securing the external funding support as above, the trust’s income and expenditure and cash position are forecast to be sufficient to support the trust’s interest and repayment obligations.”
Natalie Ratcliffe, secretary of campaign #HandsOffHRI, said the hospital shake-up plan was ‘cuts in disguise’ and urged the Government to bail the trust out of its PFI.
Ms Ratcliffe said: “The finance issue is not a local issue, it’s a national one.
“We need to get the folk in Westminster to have a closer look at our case.
“We are not like London where there are hospitals in close proximity to each other. The make-up and spread of our local population needs to be looked at.
“What we need is to be bailed out, the PFI debt paid off or even extended.
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“The shake-up is cuts in disguise. Advanced nurse practitioners replacing doctors, admin staff being replaced by technology.
“These changes will result in Halifax and Huddersfield being penalised for the PFI debt.
“Make no bones, this is about money and cost-cutting measures to the detriment of patient care.”
