This week I asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what the Government was doing to support the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust given the additional pressures it has whilst in Special Measures.
I told the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, that the recruitment and retention of staff is particularly difficult for hospital Trusts in Special Measures, meaning hospitals like the Worcestershire Royal, Alexandra and Kidderminster hospitals rely heavily on agency staff, putting additional pressures on their finances.
I then asked Mr Hancock what steps the Government was taking to help Worcestershire hospitals with their financial and recruiting pressures.
Having recently visited the Worcestershire Royal, Mr Hancock assured the Mid Worcestershire MP that the Government was working very closely with the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust to provide a direct package of support to the Trust, and recognised the unique challenges that the Trust faces. I was pleased that the Health Secretary also took the time to praise all of the hardworking staff who work within the Trust.
My recent question to the Health Secretary follows his earlier calls for Worcestershire Hospitals Trust to get its fair share of funding from the long-term NHS funding settlement.
Last year, it was announced by Prime Minister Theresa May that it would be injecting the NHS with an additional £20.5 billion between 2018/2019 and 2023/2024.
