George Eliot in deficit amid 'capacity pressures'

Board papers for November identify the trust’s main financial issues as “reduced income, additional expenditure on bed capacity, and under-achievement against the cost improvement programme.”

The trust still forecasts a break even at year end, due to the “continuing trend of over-performance against the contract with NHS Warwickshire”, which offsets a significant under-performance other commissioners.

George Eliot also reports capacity pressures are impacting on efficiency.

Delayed transfers of care increased in October to 7.4 per cent, increasing the year to date position to 5.1% against a target of 3.5%.

However all cancer waiting time standards were met in quarter two, as were 18 week referral time targets and the four-hour accident and emergency waiting time targets.

Only 81 per cent of the trust’s CIP savings had been identified by November.