King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust chief executive Tim Smart has resigned, plus the rest of today’s news and comment
- Hinchingbrooke reports sharp deficit rise as Circle departs
- Leading teaching hospital expects £19m deficit this year
- Coroner rules lack of mental health beds contributed to death
3.02pm A West Midlands trust finished last year with a deficit £18.7m worse than that it originally planned for, recent board papers reveal.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust ended 2014-15 with a deficit of £16.9m, against a planned surplus at the beginning of the year of £1.8m.
The trust’s April board papers said the main causes of the deficit have been shortfalls in income “due the displacement of elective surgery from emergencies” and higher than planned expenditure on agency staff.
1.55pm A lack of mental health beds was a ‘contributory factor’ in the suicide of a teenager being treated more than 100 miles from home, a coroner has ruled.
The trust plans to consult with the public in September over a proposal to move high risk and emergency services to one site, supported by a network of local “base” hospitals that would provide diagnostic services and less urgent treatments.
The location for main hospital has not been decided. The trust runs three acute hospitals in Margate, Ashford and Canterbury and has two accident and emergency departments.
Under the proposal there would be a single A&E department with urgent care centres on the surrounding sites.
1.25pm Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust has forecast a £14m deficit for 2014-15 – nearly double the size of its deficit for the first eight months of the financial year.
The deficit is significantly adrift of the £2m surplus the trust predicted at the beginning of the financial year while still under the management of private provider Circle.
It is also well above the £12.2m “pessimistic” forecast for year-end the trust made in January.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust in central London has told Monitor it is predicting a deficit of £19.1m for the next financial year.
The trust has a turnover of more than £1bn and employs 13,500 staff.
It is the latest large teaching hospital trust to admit financial problems since the announcement of the withdrawal of extra payments for specialised services, known as Project Diamond funding in London, last year.
12.23pm Trust chair Lord Kerslake, who took over the role in April, said: “I am new to the trust, but I know from colleagues and hospital staff that Tim’s contribution over the last seven years has been significant.
“On behalf of the trust, I would like to thank Tim for his hard work over the years, and strong commitment to patient care, which I know was always his number one priority. He will be missed, and I wish him well for the future.”
12.20pm Tim Smart said he will retire from his position as King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust chief executive “mixture of sorrow and pride”
In a statement, he said: “It has been a privilege to be part of Team King’s since 2008.
“King’s is a world leader in so many ways; uniquely, we provide high quality care for local patients, as well as being a tertiary centre for many specialties, and academic medicine.
“I hope too that we are a more inclusive organisation, which has been an important goal for me.
“I retire from my role as chief executive of King’s with a mixture of sorrow and pride, plus excitement about what the future holds. I shall treasure each and every experience and memory of King’s.”
12.18pm A statement published by King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust on its website has confirmed Tim Smart’s depature as chief executive.
Mr Smart had held his position since 2008.
Roland Sinker will serve as acting chief executive until a permanent appointment to the position is made.
12.13pm BREAKING: King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust chief executive Tim Smart has resigned.
More to follow
12.03pm Meanwhile, Monitor has today also taken action against nearby Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust.
The trust has agreed legally binding steps with the regulator to help reduce its waiting times for accident and emergency, routine operations and cancer care patients.
It must now develop and implement an operational improvement plan and a “robust” long term strategic plan.
Monitor has added a further condition to the trust’s licence requiring an improvement in the effectiveness of its board. This will enable the regulator to take further action if necessary.
12.01pm Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust has been appointed to ‘buddy’ Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, the first mental health trust to have been placed into special measures.
11.43am Bradford District Care Trust has been granted foundation trust status, Monitor has announced today.
The community and mental health trust will officially become a foundation trust on 1 May, becoming the 152nd in England.
“Whilst Bradford District Care NHS Trust has been granted foundation trust status, it must update Monitor on the progress of planned improvements in how it is run,” a statement released by the regulator said.
“To achieve foundation trust status, the trust had to prove it is well-led. The independent Care Quality Commission also used its new inspection approach to judge that the quality of care provided by the trust met the standard expected,” the statement continued.
10.52am There are two days left to nominate top clinical leaders in healthcare.
HSJ, working with Veredus, is celebrating those clinical leaders who are making a big impact on health service policy, and medical advancement to provide high quality, safe care for patients.
We will be honouring those working in healthcare who not only excel in their professional specialism, but whose impact extends beyond their professional sphere.
In particular, we are looking for those leaders who you believe are having the greatest influence on health policy, service transformation, clinical research and innovation. The list will be published in July as part of our patient safety congress which will also be celebrating patient leaders in healthcare.
To decide which nominees make the final list, the HSJ team and an expert panel of judges will consider:
- Policy: To what extent have they influenced healthcare policy nationally in the run-up to the election and are likely to do so over the next 12 months?
- Service transformation: To what extent have they influenced improvements in services as envisaged in the NHS Five Year Forward View or are likely to do so over the next 12 months?
- Innovation: To what extent have they used their clinical leadership drive innovative solutions in health and care?
You can make nominations using the form below.
Please give the person’s name, organisation and job title and a brief description of why you think they are one of healthcare’s top clinical leaders, bearing in mind the above criteria.
Nominations will close on Friday 1 May.
9.55am Good morning and welcome to HSJ Live.
We start the day with a comment piece by David Oliver, who argues that The Daily Mail’s ‘Dignity for the Elderly’ campaign does more to ramp up fear and anger around do not resuscitate orders than it does for facilitating productive end of life care discussions.
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