Three hospitals named in Sussex health crisis.

As the Strategic Health Authority for Sussex and Surrey faces an overall deficit of 83 million at the end of the financial year,three health organisations in the area have been pinpointed as major contributors to the deeping crisis.

The Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, the Royal West Sussex NHS Trust ( St Richard's at Chichester) and the Sussex and Surrey Healthcare Trust (Redill and surrounding area) are to have troubleshooting teams, funded by the Department of Health , for three months to try and improve the position.

The three trusts are among 18 in England named as poor performers when it comes to handling money. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Crawley Hospital and East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, tops the list with an expected deficit of 41 million at the end of March- about a third of its annual budget.

Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, which runs St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, comes in second with an overspend of 17 million, about 18 per cent of its annual budget.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust also is on the list with a predicted overspend of just under 14 million, about five per cent of its annual turnover.

The strategic health authority for the two counties says that the huge deficit reflects the financial performance of just a few NHS organisations within the area where performance in healthcare improvement has not been matched with improved financial control. In order to manage the financial position until the end of the year, the Strategic Health Authority has been successful in securing non-recurrent cash support from the NHS Bank of 55 million.

For full story see West Sussex Gazette, February 16.