Shropshire hospital trust cuts deficit by £3 million
The trust that controls Shropshire's two main hospitals has seen its deficit cut by about £3 million over the past year.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has revealed it began the previous financial year with a recurrent deficit of £20.9m, but has entered this year with a recurrent deficit of £17.9m.
The figures will provide a boost to the trust that runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal which have faced issues with A&E waiting times and ambulance handover times in the last 12 months.
The figures have been revealed in the trust's annual report.
Neil Nisbet, SaTH finance director, said: "The trust began the year with a recurrent deficit of £20.9m and because of actions taken, will enter the 2017/18 financial year with a recurrent deficit of £17.9m.
"This level of recurrent financial improvement demonstrates that the trust is not only taking actions to achieve short-term nationally defined targets but is also taking the steps to create a more certain long-term future. However, clearly there remains much that still needs to be achieved over the coming years.
"Given the trust’s track record there is every reason to believe that further improvement is possible. We need to continue these successes."
Mr Nisbet added: "The 2016/17 financial year represented the first year of the five-year medium-term plan. In setting the plan for the year the trust was required to limit 'in year' overspending to a control total deficit of £16.4m.
"By doing so the trust then received financial support from its regulator, NHS Improvement (NHSI), amounting to £10.5m. This financial support was subject to the trust achieving the financial control total and achieving access targets in respect of emergency care and planned care.
"The effect of receiving the financial support is to reduce the deficit for the year to £5.9m.
"It is pleasing to report that the trust has successfully achieved the control total deficit of £16.4m.
"This is now the sixth consecutive year that the trust has achieved precisely the financial target given by its regulatory body, and is a level of financial performance matched by only a small minority of trusts across the country."
