Spencer Hospitals report a recovery
PPU Watch.
Compiled by Philip Housden
Spencer Private Hospitals, the wholly owned subsidiary of East Kent Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, has reported a 24% rise in turnover to £15.8m in the year ended 31 March 2022.
This shows a continued recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic during which it dedicated much of its capacity to supporting NHS efforts throughout 2020.
In the 2021-22 annual accounts recently published, the trust reported private patient revenues of £719,000. This is a 10.7% decrease on the previous year and a significant outlier when compared with the average 47.4% growth so far reported across all England NHS trusts.
Spencer Hospitals’ chief executive Di Daw recently retired after 20 years with the company.
She joined Spencer as matron and has been chief executive since 2011.
During this time, Spencer underwent a period of significant expansion and now provides clinical services from each of the trust’s main sites at Margate, Ashford and Canterbury.
She is replaced by Geoff Bailey, who has previously held the posts of hospital director of HMT’s Sancta Maria Hospital, Swansea, Glamorgan, and also of Nuffield Brighton Hospital, and has a prior career in the pharmaceutical industry both in UK and internationally.
Clatterbridge private unit rated good by watchdog
The new Clatterbridge Private Clinic in Liverpool, a specialist cancer care clinic, has been rated ‘Good’ with no improvements needed following an unannounced CQC inspection.
This was the clinic’s first inspection since opening in 2021. Chloe Parr, general manager of the Clatterbridge Private Clinics, said: ‘The team are thrilled with the outcome. It’s a true testament to the clinical team, the administrators who support them, and the expertise of the consultants.’
Clatterbridge Private Clinic is a joint venture between The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHSFT and Mater Private.
They have two clinics in Wirral and Liverpool, which are home to some of the most advanced treatment technology and equipment in the UK.
A range of cancer treatments including chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as a variety of other innovative and highly specialised treatments such as immunotherapy, brachytherapy and proton eye therapy, catering to both local and international patients.
The Clatterbridge Centre NHSFT reported private patient revenues of £3.15m in 2021-22 annual accounts, with that income inclusive of the reimbursement of trust staff and non-staff costs and services supplied to the Clatterbridge Private Clinic.
This is a 12.9% increase on the £2.8m achieved the previous year and is 1.46% of total trust income. This is the 13th highest proportion of NHS trusts in England and fifth outside London.
Trust finally publishes its late accounts
University Hospitals of Leicester have published their much-delayed 2020-21 annual report and accounts – the final trust to do so.
Publication of these and the prior year accounts were delayed over a year beyond the NHS deadline date once the trust board was made aware during the 2018-19 external audit (June 2019) of issues regarding its finances, accounting treatments and controls.
The trust accounts for 2020-21 reveal private patient income fell that year from £2.8m to £1.6m and from 0.3% of total income to 0.15%.
This is a decline of 41% and in line with the overall Covid-related fall across all England trusts of 44%. At the time of writing, the 2021-22 annual accounts are yet to be made public.
Philip Housden is director of the Housden Group