A health trust dogged by resignations and a sacking has faced further criticism in a report released today.

Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Bridlington Hospital, has been told poor financial management has made a difficult budget situation harder to deal with.

The trust is using a turnaround plan to help manage its debts and faces an in-year deficit of £7.2m this year and a historic debt of 13.5m.

Alison Guy, the trust's chief executive, and finance chief Bernard Flynn resigned earlier this week. Both of them had been suspended during aninvestigation into the running of the trust that began in July.

Their letters of resignation were presented during a board meeting and followed the sacking of trust chairman Richard Grunwell. The governance report praised staff and managers at the trust for their co-operation during the investigation.

It went on to name problems including "difficult relationships" with other NHS bodies, the need for more strategic thinking and the need for board members to hold the executives to account more rigorously.

Iain McInnes, the trust's interim chief executive, said: "The governance review was a very useful report for the trust. We have taken all 30 recommendations very seriously.

"Scarborough and Bridlington Hospitals continue to deliver a high standard of care to all our patients."

A spokeswoman for the trust said: "We are focusing on getting the in-year figures into balance.

"Once we can achieve a balanced position year or year, we'll then start being able to address the historic debt. The short-term problem is achieving an in-year balance."

Savings made by the turnaround plan and the impact on the trust's finances have not yet been taken into account.

The chairman of campaign group Save and Support Bridlington Hospital, Mick Pilling, said: "We now see the old year out and the new year in with yet another chief executive for the Scarborough NHS Trust. Let's all hope this is for the better.

"We firmly believe Alison Guy did her best for Bridlington Hospital, but her hands were tied from the start." [email protected]

Links

Scarborough & North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust
www.scarborough.nhs.uk