Dispute hospital stops procedures

The hospital sees about 11,000 gastroenterology patients a year

An NHS hospital is warning it could have to turn away up to 16,000 patients because of a dispute over money.

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital, which has foundation status, claims it is owed £6.8m by the local Primary Care Trust, which provides GP services.

It has stopped non-urgent procedures at its gastroenterology department.

A Bournemouth Teaching Primary Care Trust spokesman described the dispute as "extremely disappointing", adding it wanted to resolve the situation.

We really would like to treat these patients Simon Parvin, medical director

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital sees about 11,000 gastroenterology patients every year. Only urgent cases and fast-track cancer patients are being seen.

Non-urgent gastroenterology cases are being turned back to their GPs, after which they may have to travel to Poole, Dorchester or Salisbury for treatment.

The dispute centres around the hospital's independent foundation status, which removes it from the control of central government.

Foundation hospitals receive some of their cash-flow from local primary care trusts (PCTs), which govern GPs, dentists and community nursing.

PCTs commission services, such as operations, from foundation hospitals on the basis of legally-binding contracts and must make payments for work carried out.

It's never happened before at the [primary care] trust before and I've never experienced it at all in my 20 odd years in the NHS Dr Paul French, Bournemouth Teaching Primary Care Trust

But the hospital says the trust owes it millions of pounds.

Medical director Simon Parvin, of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We really would like to treat these patients.

"It is the last thing that we would wish to do to have to send them back to GPs.

"The problem is that as a foundation trust we are not allowed to treat patients unless we are paid for them.

'Extremely disappointing'

"The PCT [primary care trust] feels unable to pay for these treatments and therefore we have no choice but to send them back."

The PCT said the move was "extremely disappointing".

Dr Paul French, of the Bournemouth Teaching Primary Care Trust, said: "It's never happened before at the [primary care] trust before and I've never experienced it at all in my 20 odd years in the NHS.

"How long it goes on for I think depends upon how quickly we can meet and work with RBH [Royal Bournemouth Hospital] to resolve this situation - which is what we want to do."