Dudley MP criticises Government over hospital funding
Hospitals that are failing to meet NHS targets should not be punished by having funding withheld, an MP has said.
Ian Austin hit out at the Government after it was revealed Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley is likely to be denied £250,000 in funding.
The money would have come from the Sustainability and Transformation Fund, which was set up by the Government to reward hospitals that meet performance and financial targets.
However, concerns have been raised that the strict terms of the fund could result in struggling hospitals being left behind.
Health chiefs at Russells Hall have admitted it 'seems likely' they will not receive as much cash from the Government as hoped due to its performance on waiting times.
The number of patients being seen within four hours plummeted to 82 per cent in July from 90 per cent a month earlier. The nationwide NHS target is 95 per cent.
But Mr Austin, Labour MP for Dudley North, has questioned the logic of denying struggling hospitals cash which could potentially help to improve their fortunes.
He said: "Russells Hall has already been forced to lose hundreds of staff as a result of Government rules that have cut spending at the hospital by £12 million every year despite rising demand.
"This is the case across Dudley Group NHS Trust and instead of supporting the doctors, nurses, midwives and other staff who are working flat out, the Government have added insult to injury by withholding £250,000 of funding due to A&E targets being missed.
"Despite promising to back the NHS this Government are now presiding over the worst ever performance figures recorded: nearly every waiting time target has been missed, half of patients are waiting more than two days to see a GP and waiting times in A&E were worse last summer than nearly every winter for 12 years.”
Efforts to get patients treated on time were hampered by an extra 100 ambulances arriving at the hospital during July, bosses said.
