Patients turned away over dispute

An NHS hospital is turning patients away because of a dispute with the primary care trust (PCT) over money.

The Royal Bournemouth Hospital claims it is owed more than £6m for operations it carried out last year.

From Monday non-urgent patients will have to go elsewhere but cancer patients, emergencies and urgent cases will continue to be treated as usual.

The PCT says it is paying for patients but months of negotiations have failed to settle the dispute.

We can only treat patients if we are paid for those treatments. Dr Simon Parvin

Up to 10,000 patients may now have to travel to other hospitals in Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset for their treatment.

The hospital, which treats more than 400,000 patients a year, said it is carrying out treatment costing £1m a month more than the PCT is paying.

Dr Simon Parvin said: "We can only treat patients if we are paid for those treatments.

"As a foundation trust the rules that we work by demand that all treatments that we provide are paid for in full.

"So if the PCT, which commissions care on behalf of the GPs, is not able to pay then we're not able to provide that treatment."

The PCT has set up a special team to manage the situation, and help advise patients.

Anne Swan, Bournemouth Primary Care Trust, said: "The primary care trust has set up a referrals office and we've asked all GPs to refer directly to us so we can make sure that patients are not delayed in the treatment they require and we can place them with a range of local providers."