11:13am Friday 22nd January 2010
By Clare Kennedy
A BID by hospital bosses in Southampton to break away from Government control has been delayed for the FIFTH time in as many years.
The latest setback is a bitter blow to bosses at Southampton General and Princess Anne Hospital who have ploughed tens of thousands of pounds into preparing for foundation trust status.
Mark Hackett, chief executive of Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, yesterday told all staff that the trust’s directors had postponed the application for 12 months.
Their decision comes after it emerged this week the trust would receive less money than expected for all of the patient care it provides.
Now the trust hopes to get its bid back on track once it has come to an agreement with its commissioners – NHS Southampton and NHS Hampshire – who pay for most patient services.
Mr Hackett yesterday told staff that if the application went ahead next month as planned, the trust would incur a poor financial risk rating and its freedom would be restricted.
He told the Daily Echo: “We hope to resume our application once we have agreed plans for our future that are affordable with our commissioners, who pay for the work we undertake.”
He added: “Despite this setback, we remain in a healthy financial balance and there is strong support for the continued development of worldclass specialist services here in Southampton.
“We have detailed plans in place to improve patient care in our hospitals over the next 12 months and further improve our satisfaction ratings.”
Hospital bosses say the new status would mean that they would be free from Government control, have more say over hospital finances, become more locally accountable and give people a say in how their hospitals are run.
The trust has already signed up 20,000 people as foundation trust members and last year a 17- strong members’ council was elected to help run Southampton General and Princess Anne hospitals.
The trust was one of the country’s first to bid for foundation trust status six years ago but dropped its application after losing its three star rating.
Its second attempt was deferred because of high MRSA rates and then delayed for a third time last April because of the recession.
Last autumn independent regulator Monitor said there had been a further delay leaving hospital bosses hoping to finally have foundation status by February 1.
Now those hopes have been dashed for a fifth time.
Nationwide there are 125 foundation trusts, including Salisbury and Basingstoke hospitals.
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