Matthew Trainer, chief executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT), commented on its financial woes in a recent newsletter.
In the document, Mr Trainer said: “Our outgoings are running at around £2-3 million a month more than we can afford, and this has an impact on our cash flow and on our ability to pay suppliers on time.”
The letter discussed further the financial challenges the trust has faced this year following five days of industrial action that saw £1m spent on staffing during the strike.
We approached the trust, which runs Queen’s and King George Hospitals, to ask what is being done to address the issues.
Mr Trainer said: “We, like many NHS organisations, are facing huge challenges as we attempt to live within our means while also meeting rising demand – this year has seen several of the busiest months ever across our A&Es.
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“We’re also being asked to deliver a savings plan on a bigger scale than ever before – double the £30m we’ve delivered in the past two financial years.
“To help achieve this, we’ve cut how much we spend on high cost agency workers, down from £47m two years ago to an expected £7m this year.
“Despite short-term cash issues meaning some invoices have been paid later than usual, 90pc of what we owe has been paid on time.”
BHRUT has been shortlisted for the Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) trust of the year award.
