On 25th June 2012, the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt. Hon. Andrew Lansley MP, informed South London Healthcare NHS Trust (SLHT) that it could be put into administration.
The Trust has had significant clinical and financial challenges since its inception in 2009 and patients being seen at the Trust experience some of the longest waiting times for treatment in England. Given that it has a historic deficit over the past three years of £150 million, the Health Secretary is now considering whether to put the Trust under the control of an appointed administrator who would advise on how to deliver clinically and financially sustainable services in the South London area.
In his letter to the Chairman of SLHT, Mr Lansley’s emphasises that the powers are being considered now so that patients in South East London have decent hospital services with a viable financial underpinning.
Bob Neill MP met with the Health Secretary last night (25th June 2012) to discuss how the process of administration might impact local services in Bromley & Chislehurst. After the meeting, Bob commented:
“This is yet another example of how taxpayers and patients continue to suffer from the mess bequeathed by the last Labour Government. It saddled South London Healthcare Trust with two botched PFI contacts, and the Trust has since faced an uphill battle trying to return a degree of financial stability to the local health economy. With standards of care still well below par, and debts continuing to rack up by over £1million every single week, the Health Secretary is absolutely right to intervene and find a long-term fix to these inherent problems.”