Grimsby NHS trust applies for emergency bailout

The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS trust was expected to run up a £18m deficit in 2014-15. It faces growing demand from patients and worsening staff shortages as its income no longer covers the costs of services.

The organisation, which provides hospital care in Goole, Scunthorpe and Grimsby, was among the first to be plunged into special measures due to concerns about its care and only emerged from the process last summer.

It is drawing up a short-term cost improvement plan as it applies to the Department of Health for an emergency loan to support it over the coming year.

Regulator Monitor said there were underlying financial issues which the trust could not fix alone and work was underway to develop sustainable services in the long term.

Trust director of finance Marcus Hassell said: “The local NHS position mirrors the national NHS position, with an entire system under stress as a result of increased demand that is outstripping available funding.”

Chief executive Karen Jackson said: “Monitor is very clear that this is purely about finances, as they remain satisfied with our performance in terms of leadership and care quality.”

GP Peter Melton, chief clinical officer at North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said it would work with the trust to ensure the emergency funding was used effectively to develop “affordable high quality services as quickly as possible”.