Oxford trust farms out work to the private sector to deal with demand

March board papers say: “Activity continues to be transferred to third parties (such as the Manor, Medinet and Ramsay) to tackle waiting list pressures because non-elective activity levels prevent these from being managed in-house.”

The papers go on: “Non-elective activity remains well above plan for the year and elective activity, including day case work, below plan… elective activity (excluding day cases) is 1,662 episodes below plan year-to-date with average income of £3,726 per case. If the trust had carried out less non-elective work, and was able instead to achieve its planned level of elective activity, it is estimated that the trust would have generated an additional £4.1m in income year-to-date.”

“Elective activity continues to be ‘crowded out’ by non-elective work. This means that the trust had less capacity to carry out work for which it would have received full tariff, and substituted this for work at marginal rates which do not cover costs.”

The figures go up to month ten. They do not take into account the additional costs paid to third parties such as the Manor and Medinet for them to carry out elective activity.

It is currently forecast that the trust will break even, as planned, at the end of 2012-13.