Sheffield PCT identifies risk to forecast position

A PCT finance board paper says: “The forecast continues to be delivery of the planned position (£0.5m surplus) but the level and variety of risks to be managed remains challenging.

“Expenditure for the first four months, particularly on Continuing Healthcare and on Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Sheffield Children’s contracts, is indicating expenditure above budget, which if extrapolated for a full year would suggest significant pressures to be managed in year,” it adds.

“At the moment, these are offset by forecast under spends in areas such as prescribing and corporate budgets and also by not spending certain uncommitted reserves.”

The paper says, despite uncertainty, there is “potential overall net risk to delivery of the plan position of between £nil and just under £5m”.

The PCT is planning “further efforts… to ensure the QIPP programme is delivered and… to develop the contingency action plan”.