Letters to patients are being delayed as an NHS hospital trust cannot afford paper, according to a whistleblower. Orders for paper have been temporarily suspended until September 30 at the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust amid financial reasons. The trust, which includes hospitals at Basildon, Broomfield and Southend, is currently facing an £85million deficit, making it the worst-performing large trust in England.
Troubleshooter Phillip Burns has now been drafted in to rectify the huge financial difficulties it faces, who previously charged a rate of £2,000 a day. Mr Burns was nicknamed the “Marbella Man” due to working one day a week from Spain while working as a director for a health board. Patients of the Essex trust are now facing delays in letters being sent in the coming weeks due to the suspension of paper orders.
Leaders of the trust have been receiving performance-related bonuses, it is understood, despite the ongoing financial crisis.
One clinician told The Telegraph: “All this money is being spent on senior managers and external consultants when it would be far better to ensure the basics are in place to allow people to just do their jobs.”
Board reports show that Dawn Scrafield, the trust’s chief financial officer, received a cash bonus of between £10,000 and £15,000 in 2023/24 in addition to her six-figure salary.
The trust’s chief operating officer, Andrew Pike, also took home a bonus of between £15,000 and £20,000 in the same year.
In April last year, the Essex trust was placed under financial special measures to help control the deficit.
The trust is now undergoing new cuts, which include suspending letters and pausing the hiring of any temporary bank staff for non-clinical roles until October.
The trust has already cut hundreds of jobs, with 683 roles axed in 2024. A further 250 are expected to be cut by the end of the year.
Ms Scrafield said: “We have a responsibility to spend taxpayers’ money wisely and so are reviewing all reasonable options to improve efficiency and reduce spending, while continuing to deliver safe, high-quality care to our patients. A number of cost-saving measures are being explored and considered.”
