Hinchingbrooke FAQs

1. Will Hinchingbrooke hospital close?

Hinchingbrooke is not going to close. It is safe and will continue to deliver the full range and scope of services, as agreed after the public consultation in 2007.
 

2. What will happen to Hinchingbrooke’s staff and buildings?

Staff would remain employed by the NHS. The hospital buildings and all its assets would remain owned by the NHS - regardless of which provider is selected at the end of the process.

3. How much is Hinchingbrooke’s debt, and what will happen to it?

Hinchingbrooke HCT is currently designated a financially challenged NHS Trust. The Trust has done well to achieve an operating (in year) financial balance for the past two years, but it is unable, in its current format, to recover its financial deficit of almost £40 million. The overspend is to the NHS, so when it is recovered, it will be reinvested in local NHS services.

4. Why is Hinchingbrooke exploring private sector options?

What it is important is that the NHS continues to deliver sustainable healthcare services to the people of Huntingdonshire now and in the future. It is important to find the right partner who would ensure this happens, and this means an open process that allows all interested parties a chance to put forward proposals.

Patients, staff and local people can be reassured that their needs come first when the preferred partner is being chosen. The Department of Health’s Competition and Cooperation rules encourage an open competition with a level playing field for NHS services. The procurement of a new provider organisation will be open to the NHS and the independent sector (to include private and voluntary organisations). This will ensure that all options are explored.

5. Why would the private sector want to become involved with Hinchingbrooke if it’s not profitable?

The successful franchisee will have to operate on the same terms as anyone else providing equivalent NHS services. However, when a new management is brought into any business, they bring with them a new and different perspective. The new franchisee may well identify scope for improving efficiency and performance. It could be, for example, that they see more services being handled in the community, or that service hours in the hospital can be extended. These are just suppositions; it will be up to the individual bidders to show how they would make the management of Hinchingbrooke hospital profitable. Overridingly, there is a clear bottom line; the provision of services agreed by local people, to standards expected of NHS organisations.

6. How will this plan improve services for patients?

This plan will improve services for patients because it helps to secure the hospital’s future. The decision of the NHS to guarantee a future for the hospital, to set out clearly what services would be delivered, and to find the right long term partner to deliver those services,  ensures that the people of Huntingdonshire will benefit from year on year progress in the NHS.

7. How long will the process take for Hinchingbrooke?

Preliminary assessments are that this might take around 18 months from October 2009. Hospitals are complex organisations, and everyone needs to be confident that the right answer is found for local people. There are no arbitrary deadlines; it will take as long as needed to get the right solution.

8. When do you intend to involve the public?

As is customary, the public and their representatives will be given the opportunity to be involved throughout the development of the franchise proposal. This website will provide regular updates on the progress of the project and how the views of the public have been used in the development of the proposal. An independent stakeholder panel has also been established to represent a broad range of interests on behalf of the public. The stakeholder panel will meet in public and will communicate issues raised by the public to the NHS.
More detail about the stakeholder panel can be found on this website, along with a list of other public involvement and communication events.

9. Has a decision already been made on Hinchingbrooke? 

No final decision has been made. The development of the nature and scope of the franchise proposal will be shaped by taking into account all the relevant factors, together with the views of both the public and potential partners for Hinchingbrooke. 

Scenes of Hinchingbrooke hospital