RJAH set out £4 million programme of investment for next 12 months

Leaders at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital have set out a £4 million programme of investment for the next 12 months - as they hail the importance of strong financial management.

The Oswestry-based Trust is set to report a surplus of £2.3 million in its Annual Accounts, which will be published next month. That is made up of a £500,000 operating surplus plus £1.8 million in funds from regulator NHS Improvement, who allocate monies called Sustainability and Transformation Funding (STF) to Trusts who hit their financial targets.

That money will be used to help support a number of patient-focussed projects. These include the installation of a new, state-of-the-art CT scanner to replace the existing one that has reached the end of its useful life.

Bed capacity at the hospital is also set to increase over the next year as a result of upgrade work on Kenyon Ward, which admits general surgery patients. There will also be improvements made to the hospital’s Sterile Services Department.

Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive, said: “Delivering on our financial targets is so important and we were delighted to do so again this year. I want to pay tribute to our incredible staff for their hard work, which has made this possible.

“This really is fantastic news for us, as it will strengthen our cash balances and financial resilience, ensuring we can prosper and remain independent.

“More importantly, it means we can increase investments back into our services, supporting our ambition to deliver world class care.”

The expenditure marks an increase on the £2.5 million of capital investment in 2017-18, which was used to buy new up-to-date beds, do important work to improve the Outpatients environment, purchase a new generator and make improvements to patient and staff car parks.

Craig Macbeth, Director of Finance, said: “The NHS is likely to remain financially-challenged in the short and medium-term so we need to stay focussed and keep challenging ourselves to improve efficiency further and make sure we are using our money wisely.

“Our ability to keep investing in our services and making improvements relies on our ability to stay in the black.

“We believe the capital programme we have outlined for the next year is one that will really make a difference to patients and staff alike.

“All of our staff can be proud of the part they have played in making that possible.”