Walsall Manor Hospital owed £50,000 after premature birth
An overseas visitor to Walsall Manor Hospital racked up bills totalling more than £50,000 last year which have still not been repaid, it can be revealed.
A mother was visiting the borough on holiday when she encountered pregnancy complications.
The baby was born premature and required a substantial amount of time in intensive/high dependency care, leading to a medical bill of some £50,229.
In a statement a spokesman for Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust confirmed they were still chasing the substantial sum of money.
The statement said: "In this situation we follow a policy to ensure that we are repaid for the care we provide to overseas visitors.
"In this case, we have not yet been paid but are currently pursuing it in line with our policies. The overseas visitor was on holiday in the UK and encountered pregnancy complications during her stay.
"Premature delivery of the baby was needed due to the complications and the baby required a substantial amount of time in intensive/high dependency care."
The trust has been working on improving its financial performance as well as its clinical issues after being rated inadequate by CQC inspectors.
Bosses had set themselves a target of overspending on its budget by £17.7m in 2015/2016 which chiefs referred to as a 'planned deficit'.
However, NHS England has demanded that the trust reduce its deficit to £14.8m for the year.
Chief executive Richard Kirby indicated last year that the new figure would be very difficult to achieve.
