Freeze helps hospital finances (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Freeze helps hospital finances

11:37am Monday 15th March 2010 in

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HOSPITAL chiefs in Winchester reckon they can balance their books, thanks in part to the coldest winter for a generation.

The Royal Hampshire County Hospital had expected patient numbers to rise in the winter months.

However, while the snow and ice led to busy periods in accident and emergency, the rest of the hospital had a quieter time than usual.

With some patients staying away or seeking treatment from GPs, the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust spent £1.8m less in January than expected.

As a result, the £1.6m shortfall it had built up in the previous few months was wiped out at a stroke.

The trust has also received an extra £1m from the Strategic Health Authority. It comes as health chiefs expect a rise in demand as the hospital in Romsey Road deals with cases delayed by the snow and ice.

Accident and emergency cases are 3.8 per cent up on last year, the trust’s board heard, but the books should now balance.

Mike Gretton, who chairs the trust, sounded a note of caution that next year’s budget could face “huge pressures”.

The new items on next year’s budget include a £250,000 plan to open a specialist stroke unit at the hospital.