Integrated finance plan for Southern Health set back

The mental health and community services trust, which was created in April as part of a merger between Hampshire Partnership and the community services provider arm of Hampshire primary care trust.

Merging the two bodies’ financial systems to create “a single operating ledger and reporting structure” had been identified as a priority action for 2011-12. It had been intended to be completed in October 2011 – but trust board papers released to HSJ under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the plan has slipped to December 2012.

The scheme is part of a three-year objective to “reduce costs by 25 per cent over three years whilst delivering our clinical strategy and maintaining a Monitor financial risk rating of at least three.”