Local MP Julian Knight was joined by Caroline Spelman MP when he organised urgent talks with Monitor on Tuesday to discuss the future of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.
The Trust has managed to overspend its budget by £29 million in the last five months, with excessive spending both on agency staff and on capital projects. Despite this, performance continues to lag behind what is expected at some of the Trust’s sites – although Solihull Hospital was the best performing.
The new leadership, from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and Julian will continue to work with them to ensure that the challenges facing Heart of England are not addressed at the expense of patients.
Commenting on the talks, Julian said:
“When I was elected, I made a commitment to defend our local NHS services here in Solihull. I have defended 24/7 medical care in Solihull, campaigned against the unfair and exploitative fees charged in hospital car parks, and fought successively to secure a replacement to our successful walk-in centre.
“As your MP, it’s my job to make sure that the interests of the community are front and centre as we confront the challenges facing Heart of England. I believe that we have secured a plan from Monitor which will preserve our health services and set the Trust back on its feet, but I will continue to be closely involved and stand up for Solihull.”
Caroline Spelman commented:
“I welcome the chance to put to the health watchdog, Monitor, the long standing problems my constituents have experienced in the Heart Of England Foundation Trust, which I want the interim leadership for the University Hospital of Birmingham to address.
“During this meeting I emphasised the need to protect the proposal to enhance services at Solihull, which Monitor have identified as the best performing hospital of the three in HEFT, and I will continue to support the interests of my constituents and our local NHS throughout this investigation.”