Health written question – answered at on 12 October 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) whether a requirement will be placed on the franchise holder for Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust to reduce the trust's legacy debt; and whether it will be permitted to (a) sell any of the trust's assets, (b) discontinue services and (c) build new facilities on the trust site for use by private patients;
(2) whether staff employed at Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust will become employees of the franchise holder under the terms of the franchise; and whether they will retain their existing terms and conditions of employment;
(3) what plans he has for the future of the debt held by Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust;
(4) on what basis the clinical and financial performance of Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust will be assessed under its operating franchise; and what benchmarks he plans to set to assess the performance of the franchise;
(5) whether the board of Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust will continue to meet in public and publish agendas and minutes of its meetings under the terms of its operating franchise;
(6) if he will publish the contract with Circle Heath for the franchise of Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust.
Based on advice from the NHS East of England strategic health authority, we can confirm the following:
The Hinchingbrooke Next Steps project was devised to establish a solution to Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust's historic debt and secure its long term sustainability. The trust's board recognised that it was unlikely to reach foundation trust status as a standalone organisation or pay back its debt to the taxpayer so, after a public consultation in 2007, a procurement took place to find a suitable partner, using a unique franchise arrangement. On
Circle will manage the hospital but the hospital will trade and provide services as a national health service trust. The trust will therefore be subject to the same quality and standards regulations as all other NHS hospitals.
The board of Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust will continue to meet in public and publish its agendas and minutes.
Currently, there is no contract between Circle and Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust. The contract will be signed only when approvals have been received from the Department and HM Treasury. The contract may be made publicly available, subject to commercial confidentiality.
Circle has made a commitment to address the hospital's historic debt. The trust, under Circle's management, may be permitted, subject to normal NHS procedures, to sell its assets. However, any revenue gained would be reinvested within the hospital. As part of the franchise, Circle is committed to maintain the current level of services, as long as commissioners continue to purchase them. This includes accident and emergency and maternity services, a commitment to which was made following the 2007 public consultation, led by the lead commissioner, NHS Cambridgeshire. In the future, if there are proposals to change the services provided at the hospital, they will be subject to public consultation, as they would with any NHS hospital. Circle's plans for the hospital as defined in their bid do not include plans to construct any new facilities.
Under the Hinchingbrooke hospital franchise arrangement, staff will remain employees of the NHS, retaining their terms and conditions. The hospital's assets will remain within the NHS, and patients will continue to receive NHS services.
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No0 people think not
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