10:25am Wednesday 16th February 2011
By Claire Lomax
Health bosses say a contract with a Bradford treatment centre which resulted in taxpayers’ money being wasted will not happen again under a newly-agreed contract.
The assurance comes after figures show that Eccleshill Treatment Centre in Harrogate Road, Eccleshill, was paid £45.1 million, but only carried out work valued at £37.8m – a £7.3m shortfall.
The situation, replicated across the country, resulted because under minimum payment contracts, treatment centres were paid a set amount, regardless of how many operations they carried out.
The treatment centre, which opened in July 2005, was until last year run by Nations Healthcare. It provides day surgery and diagnostic services to NHS patients.
It suspended keyhole surgery in 2007 after the death of John Hubley, of Leeds, who suffered massive blood loss during a bladder operation.
A spokesman for NHS Bradford and Airedale said: “The original centrally-procured contract for Eccleshill ended in 2010 and NHS Bradford and Airedale and NHS Leeds subsequently procured the new contract locally.
“Care UK now provides services which are paid at NHS tariff prices under the terms and conditions of the standard NHS national contract for hospital services. Activity which is not used is not paid for.”
Bradford East Lib Dem MP David Ward condemned the waste of taxpayers’ money.
© Copyright 2001-2013 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.theargus.co.uk
http://www.theargus.co.uk/trade_directory/