Ambulance services run up £6 million deficit for first quarter

Ambulance services in England have run up a £6 million deficit for the first 3 months of the 2015–16 financial year.

According to figures published by Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority, four NHS Ambulance Trusts and four NHS Ambulance Foundation Trusts are in deficit.

These figures form part of the wider combined deficit of £930 million for the 151 Foundation Trusts and 90 other NHS Trusts and in England, which is more than the entire full-year deficit for 2014–15 of £829 million.

Foundation Trusts ended the first quarter with a deficit of £445 million, which was £90 million worse than planned. NHS Trusts were revealed to be £485 million in deficit, which was £63 million worse than anticipated.

David Bennett, chief executive of Monitor, said:

‘Today figures reiterate the sector is under massive pressure and must change to counter it.’

He added: ‘The NHS simply can no longer afford operationally and financially to operate in the way it has been and must act now to deliver the substantial efficiency gains required.’

Richard Murray, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund, said:

‘These figures confirm that NHS providers are heading towards an unprecedented end of year deficit.

‘The reported overspend of £930 million at the end of the first quarter is more than the deficit for the whole of last year. This reflects a very sharp deterioration in financial performance among all types of providers, with 96% of acute trusts and more than half of mental health trusts now reporting deficits.

‘On this basis, warnings of a deficit of at least £2 billion by the end of the year are well-founded.’

He added: ‘Unless emergency funding is announced in the forthcoming Spending Review, a rapid and serious decline in patient care is inevitable.’

Taken from Journal of Paramedic Practice, published 22 October 2015.