Sponsored by
MRSA could sink hospital trust's plans
A spate of MRSA cases and poor finances could thwart a local NHS trust's bid to break free from government control.
The Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs Chichester's St Richard's Hospital – had eight cases of the superbug in the last three months.
At this rate the trust will have 30 MRSA cases by April next year – far higher than its maximum target of 21.
The trust has also plunged 700,000 into the red. It had intended to be 1.1m in credit by this month.
Chief executive Marianne Griffiths admitted the MRSA rates and financial problems meant its bid for foundation status – which gives the trust more independence from Whitehall and access to extra cash – could be at risk.
'That's why we're taking this extremely seriously,' she told a meeting of the trust at St Richard's Hospital.
'That's why we have to work with the PCT and others to make sure we stay below the target.'
When asked whether the target of 21 MRSA cases was realistic, she replied: 'I think we've got to try and make it realistic.
'Touch wood, we just have to continue with a relentless approach. I'm really disappointed with the one case we've had this month. I think what we need to be aiming for is zero.
'I think if we start saying that's not our aspiration, it takes our foot off the brake.'
The overspend is blamed on agency fees for temporary staff. Trust chiefs say they are trying to cut down on this by hiring more permanent staff.
But they admit it could be 12 to 18 months before such problems are ironed out.
Michael Etheridge, 79, from Bognor Regis, who has been coming to trust meetings for 12 years, said: 'They're moving forward, but it's a difficult situation where they're trying to combine three hospitals together under one management.
'They're still going through the learning curve. They've never balanced their budget for years, and this new board has quite a task on its hands.'
WESTERN SUSSEX HOSPITALS NHS TRUST
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust was formed on April 1 this year out of St Richard's Hospital Trust, Worthing hospital and Southlands hospital.
It is aiming to be upgraded to a foundation trust which are more independent than NHS hospitals and can manage their own finances.
For instance, normal NHS trusts give unspent cash back to central government at the end of the year, while foundation trusts can reinvest it in the hospital in the same way a private business would.
Foundation trusts also have membership made up of ordinary members of the public and ground-level staff such as nurses and cleaners, who can vote on matters affecting the hospital. So far around 50 people have come forward to become members.
>> Vote in our latest web poll.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Portsmouth
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
