Save Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Hospital bosses to explain £40m debt - From Cambridge Evening News 10 April 08


BOARD members at Hinchingbrooke Hospital could be hauled before councillors to explain a scathing report into its finances.

Liberal Democrats are calling for an extraordinary general meeting of Cambridgeshire's health scrutiny committee after Hinchingbrooke's auditor, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, said it had
"serious concerns" over the hospital's near £40 million debt.

Lib Dems on the committee want to grill board members such as Mark Millar, the hospital's
chief executive, and insist the meeting must be held in public.

Councillor Lister Wilson, chairman of the health and adult social care scrutiny committee,
told the News that members will hold a "fact-finding meeting" with the Hinchingbrooke
board before deciding whether to hold a public session.

But Cllr Geoff Heathcock, Lib Dem spokesman for health on the council,
said there must be no closed-doors meetings "over a cup of coffee" with
senior management. He added: "We won't rest until we get this public meeting."

Auditors at PriceWaterhouseCoopers issued the public interest report on March 18,
highlighting their belief that the trust will need "significant" cash support on top of
£27.3 million of temporary Public Dividend Capital it was given in 2006/07.

They say the trust is unlikely to achieve its statutory break-even duty for the
five-year period ending in March next year and have sent their report to
Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health.

WE WILL BE AT ANY PUBLIC MEETING, SHOULD ONE GO AHEAD
WE ARE OF THE THINKING THAT THE TRUST WILL BE IN FINANCIAL
BALANCE BY 1 APRIL 2009 AS THERE ARE PLANS AFOOT
TO PASS THE RUNNING OF THE TRUST TO ANOTHER BODY

ONE BEING MUTED JUST NOW IS A SO CALLED SOCIAL ENTERPRISE -
ON READING THEIR SPEIL IT SEEMS MORE LIKE AN EX-GP & NHS
MANAGERS RETIREMENT FUND..................
WE SAY NO TO A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE..................