Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

HC 658, Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Session 2012-13

Author:

National Audit Office (NAO)

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Price: £16.00

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'Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HC 658)' reports on how the board of Peterborough and Stamford NHS Trust failed to recognise in 2007 that a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme to build a new hospital, Peterborough City Hospital, would place considerable strain on its finances for years to come.

The then board compounded the decision to proceed with the scheme, which it could not afford, with a failure to monitor other changes affecting its income and costs between 2007 and 2011.

In 2011-12 their deficit was £46 million and the Trust is predicting an in-year deficit of more than £50 million for 2012-13.

Monitor, the regulator of Foundation Trusts, raised well-founded concerns about the scheme's affordability with the Trust Board and the Department, however neither addressed these concerns fully before approval of the business case. Despite its earlier views, the regulator rated the Trust as a very low financial risk, reflecting its reported financial position, but this risk rating did not reflect the future impact of the PFI development. Monitor had a number of opportunities to intervene before finally placing the Trust in breach of its terms in October 2011, but concluded that an intervention would not necessarily improve or change the outcome positively.

The level of healthcare undertaken by the Trust is also greater than envisaged in the PFI business case, which assumed a 14% drop in outpatient activity, whereas this actually increased by 21%.

NHS Peterborough, the Trust's main commissioner, which has been in financial difficulty itself, has used national and local performance indicators to withhold payments for activity undertaken by the Trust.

Extent	44 pages	ISBN	9780102980509
Size	A4	Price	£16.00
Format	Paperback	Published	29 Nov 2012
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges