|
1. Performance reports.
Good overall progress towards meeting end of year targets. Risk-adjusted mortality is now stabilising at around 60 (70 for peer group). Winter weather presented real problems - feeling that they have coped well - appreciation expressed to staff for their efforts to get in and keep the service running – but there were implications for A&E targets; emergency plans had been tested for real.
2. Finance.
To date there is a £5.9M overspend. However it is considered that they are still on target for a £4.6M surplus at end of year. This is partly due to increased income, partly to an asset re-evaluation exercise, partly to non-recurrent capital items (e.g. single sex accommodation changes) and partly to planned savings. Building these factors in gives a year to date deficit of £0.4M.
Agency staff salary spend is being reduced (midwife staff appointed) and this continues to be a target. For 2010/11 a surplus of £6.6M is needed to cover loan repayments. Savings will need to be more than this because (i) there were non-recurrent savings and income in 2009/10, (ii) additional AAU costs have been identified, (iii) planned reductions in volume of service commissioned. Not yet in a position to give details of how savings will be achieved.
3. Infection Control.
Still well ahead of targets - all recent cases have been imported from the community. MRSA - current total is 6 against a target max of 12. C.Diff - current total is 42 against a target max of 57 but this 57 is itself a more stringent target from the original one for 2009/10 of 160.
4. I.T. issues.
Many projects reported as being complete or on target for completion in 2010. However there is much still to be done. Much of this hinges on funding problems for major capital investments and strategic decisions in the near future.
- capacity problems in meeting e-learning and video conferencing targets,
- major long term costs in moving the I.T. hub building at Hemel Hempsted,
- major funding implications to make real progress rather than ‘keeping the lights on’,
- dropping of national plans for a patient record system puts the trust in charge of its own destiny again with implications as to how this is to be achieved at a local level.
Some of the above is due to the fact that allocated funding for some large projects has been removed to enable other projects across the hospitals to proceed. Therefore need a vision and commitment to prevent I.T. being seen as a soft target for future cuts.
5. Estate Strategy.
A major report was presented. Below are just a few ‘eye catching’ extractions.
2005 site valuation (Land and Buildings for Watford + H.H. + St A.) was £189.8M. Corresponding evaluation in 2009 was £115.8M !!! Within this the Watford building retained the same value (£41.8M). And yet the backlog maintenance costs for just the Watford building is £49M !!!
Replacing the Watford hospital (still an aspiration) would cost between £280 and £300 M as a single phase project or between £380 and £400 M as a multi-phased project. No indication as to how it could possibly be completed as a single phased project.
The rest of the agenda was on more specialist governance and sub committee reports.
David H.
 |
Recent News