Sock it to em Our Cilla.
The Boards of the Royal Surrey County, and Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts decided last year to pause their proposed merger to allow more time to focus on their “financial position.” The Guildford hospital, used by many Waverley residents, brought in a “turnaround director” rumoured to be receiving in excess of £60,000 a month – yes, a month, to improve its £12m deficit. to help? The Board won’t reveal the man’s salary, probably because it is “commercially sensitive, more like, “insensitive!”
Recently the RSCH announced the arrival of a new Chief Executive, on another plump salary, who says she is, equally determined to bring down the deficit, improve A & E waiting times, deal with all its other problems, bed blocking, and cancelled operations.
At the time merger talks collapsed one of our followers said:
When merger talks collapsed, one follower said: – “thank the one above” – he has been listening to us! Anyone seen the trolley waits at St Peter’s – resembles a war zone?
So what is one of the first things they do?
Stick up the parking charges.Twice this year. The minimum two hour charges is now up from £3.50 to £4.
Or, in other words, tax patients and visitors. What a great idea? Deputy Chief Executive Alf Turner says the money will be used to build a new multi-storey car park. Oh really? Pull the other one it’s got plaster on! What have they been doing with the millions they have gathered in car parking fees over many, many years? And below is what the public think of this little earner in a poll conducted by the brilliant on-line newspaper The Guildford Dragon.
Now.. what we at WW are wondering is? Why won’t the RSCH reveal how much it already collects in parking fees?
It just claims, the increase is “necessary” – necessary for what? To help balance its books? Help pay it’s plumply salaried senior staff, certainly not nurses or junior doctors? And the deputy chief executive admits the rise won’t be popular – not popular you bet it isn’t Alfie!
A private management company runs the car park employing lots of people, on a contract soon to be renewed. The Trust won’t say how much it collects because it is “commercially sensitive” rubbish! It means, like “Your Waverley’s common practice ” it is “publicly sensitive” more like. Why? Because the public is getting very sensitive about knowing just how much dosh they pour into the Trust’s machines and where it actually goes?
The Royal Surrey serves a population of 320,000 for emergency and general hospital services. St Luke’s Cancer Centre serves 1.3 million people for cancer services across Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire through the St Luke’s Cancer Alliance.
In other words, patients often travel long distances just to get there.
The hospital has an annual income of £326 million and employs around 3,500 people. Every year it sees around 336,000 outpatients, admits 90,000 patients for treatment and 73,000 patients attend A&E.
So are all us dummies pouring money into machines to improve parking facilities ? Or, are we paving the way for the RSCH to balance its books to pave the way towards a merger.
Because here’s what they said last year:
“Current predictions however mean that the merger plans – as they are currently described – would not be able to realise the anticipated benefits needed to make the merger viable, and thus the benefits to patients. The deteriorating financial position at Royal Surrey is a significant contributing factor, which both boards have taken into account as part of their review of the current situation.
“Both boards still believe that creating a bigger, stronger organisation is one of the best ways to secure and protect high quality services for patients. During this pause, we will continue to pursue those areas where it is sensible to look for savings and better ways of working together.” ”The Royal Surrey’s chairman, John Denning, said: “This is not a decision our boards have taken lightly, particularly as we have put a lot of work and effort into these plans to date.“We are both clear that resolving our immediate financial difficulties has to be our priority over the coming months.”
