THE NHS trust which runs Tunbridge Wells Hospital said it plans to run a budget surplus by the end of the fiscal year after a ballooning deficit led to it being placed in financial special measures last summer.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was placed in financial special measures in July when auditors discovered its deficit had risen to £23million in 2015/16 and was forecast to continue haemorrhaging money.
This led to a team of specialists being parachuted in to help tackle the issue, led by Financial Improvement Director Simon Worthington, who had a record of turning around ailing hospitals.
At the time, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was one of five institutions to require support, alongside Barts Health in London, Croydon Health Services, Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals and North Bristol.
However, a spokesman for the trust said the deficit has since been halved to £10.9m in 2016/17 and there are ‘plans’ to return to surplus in 2017/18.
Steve Orpin, Director of Finance, said: “Our Trust has continued to carefully improve its financial position since being placed in financial special measures a year ago.
“We are using our finite resources more efficiently and effectively to provide high standards of patient care within our financial means, and continue to work closely with NHS Improvement to build a sustainable and successful future for our Trust.”
