Local Hospital Hits Funding Crunch

2.19.28pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Jul 2005

The West Middlesex Hospital has run up a financial deficit of £4m in the year of 2004/5 and is embarked on a series of economies designed to save £7.4m in the current financial year, 2005/6; these include closure of a further 30 acute beds (on top of 28 agreed several months ago) and cut in staffing.

Vincent Cable MP said that he was "seriously alarmed by these developments. Money is pouring into the health service but the West Middlesex always seems to be in financial difficulty and is now in crisis. Looking at their accounts, there is increased spending to pay for higher salaries for NHS professionals and a big increase in property expenses which probably derives from the PFI hospital building programme. What is palpably absurd is to put up a new hospital and then to close wards within it because there isn't enough money to pay for the doctors and nurses. We need a much fuller public explanation from the hospital as to why it is in this position and how it can deal with its problems without cutting services."