Queen's treatment centre £1 million cash shortfall
A CONTROVERSIAL private healthcare clinic made £1 million less than hoped last year, hospital chiefs have admitted.
The Midlands Treatment Centre was bought by Burton’s Queen’s Hospital from previous owner Circle Healthcare for £2.5 million in 2011.
But the clinic is drastically under-performing and monthly income was £231,000 lower than expected in December last year.
This took the clinic’s total 2011 income to an estimated £4.2 million — £1.1 million less than hospital bosses had previously forecast.
Hospital finance director Tony Waite blamed the shortfall on the plan ‘not adequately reflecting the seasonal holiday’ and pledged to recover the cash.
He wrote in a report to Queen’s Hospital governors: “The under-performance in the month is a consequence of the plan not adequately reflecting the seasonal holiday. The forecast income to be generated from the Midlands Treatment Centre gives due recognition to this matter and remains at £4.2 million for the year.
“The trust (Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) is pursuing confirmation that this sum is recoverable in full from commissioners and will inform of any revised forecast in due course.”
The treatment centre, located on the main Queen’s site, treats 37,000 patients a year and employs more than 100 workers.
It offers services such as pain management, treatment for eye conditions and day case surgery.
It was acquired by Queen’s when the trust also took over the Samuel Johnson Hospital in Lichfield and Sir Robert Peel Hospital in Tamworth.
These two community hospitals have also under-performed and brought in less money than forecast by Queen’s finance chiefs.
Their combined income for the two was £39,000 lower than hoped in September last year, the most recent month for which figures are available.
Mr Waite wrote of his hopes that this too could be recovered.
