Consultation over future of Orpington Hospital set to start on July 16

10:04am Sunday 8th July 2012 in Health News By Robert Fisk

A CONSULTATION about the future of Orpington Hospital is still set to go ahead despite the financial difficulties of the trust which runs it.

An administrator is set to go into South London Healthcare NHS Trust on Thursday (July 12) to assess how it has managed to run up debts of more than £150m over the past three years.

They will make recommendations to the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to put the trust’s finances on a sustainable basis.

It was thought the consultation about Orpington Hospital, which is one of the four hospitals run by the trust, may have had to be delayed until the administrator had finished their work.

But after meeting with the Minister of State for Health Services Simon Burns, Orpington MP Jo Johnson has received a letter reassuring him it will be able to start next Monday (July 16).

Jo said: “I welcome the minister’s letter.

“I had continually pressed for the right of residents and staff to give their views in an open and comprehensive consultation, and the decision to go ahead as planned on July 16 is the right one.

“I will be submitting my position when the consultation opens and will stress the need for high quality services to remain in Orpington town, either at the existing site on a reduced footprint or at a new healthy and well being centre in the town centre."

Related links

Details of how to have your say in the consultation will be revealed by NHS South East London on July 16.

Comments(5)

Oldchap says...
10:16am Sun 8 Jul 12

"Consultation"

In other words lets go through the motions as we've already decided to close the hospital & sell the land for housing so management can reduce the debt and pay themselves obscene bonuses

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dag says...
11:08am Sun 8 Jul 12

What we really need is more housing!! Never mind that with more housing we'll need more hospital space

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Slonik says...
11:19am Sun 8 Jul 12

It seems to me that, PFI issues aside (considerable as they are), there's been endemic, appallingly poor management practice at the root of these problems. Can the financial management of a health trust really be so impenetrable that those responsible for this massive failure can't be identified, named, shamed and disciplined where appropriate? Is that too much for the public to expect or should we just have to continue suffering this institutionalised incompetence until it finally brings the NHS to its knees? What's required here is a cull of the inept managers and executives who've presided over this protracted debacle and the appointment of people with the proven ability, drive and determination necessary to put things on a proper footing. Given the scale of what's gone on here I can't see how those responsible for this mess can be allowed to just move on untarnished to quite possibly bring more mayhem to the NHS and wider public sector elsewhere. Who on earth would want to employ people like this?? Who put them in these positions in the first place?? In the words of Lord Sugar, "it's a bloody shambles!!"

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reasonable75 says...
12:05pm Sun 8 Jul 12

This fiasco goes back years to when it was decided to appoint "professional management" to run hospitals.

OK, what's the first thing to do - I know, let's slash doctors & nurses, appoint even more administrators then we can pay ourselves bonuses. Even if it's a failure we can balance the books by selling the family silver (buildings) and get paid a "fee" by the property developer.

Still making a loss, cut more doctors & nurses, appoint more administrators.

Don't worry, if the NHS goes broke we're all guaranteed a golden handshake

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goldenbroomboy says...
8:59am Mon 9 Jul 12

Oldchap wrote:
"Consultation" In other words lets go through the motions as we've already decided to close the hospital & sell the land for housing so management can reduce the debt and pay themselves obscene bonuses
Absolutely, in effect this means that if anybody thought that sorting out Streathers mess would mean that the Hospital would stay open for a little while longer was kidding themselves.

Little bro is talking hot air, we all know what is going to happen. But let us at least give them a run for their money.

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