Hospitals still waiting for £96m of funding

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Matthew Hopkins

A chief executive in charge of seven Essex hospitals has called on the government to clarify if it will receive almost £100m of promised funding.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) secured funds of £118m after being formed from three separate trusts in 2017.

It was earmarked for expanding capacity and carrying out a major reconfiguration of acute care services within MSE, which manages hospitals including in Chelmsford, Southend and Basildon.

However, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) has obtained information via a freedom of information request – seen by the BBC – which shows just £21.9m of that total has been released so far.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust run seven hospitals, including Southend University Hospital

MSE has started some of the work in anticipation of the funding, including an £8.5m expansion of Southend Hospital's emergency department (ED), but has not had confirmation of the funding since Labour came to power a year ago.

MSE chief executive Matthew Hopkins said: "To date we have received £21.9m of the promised £118m, which has helped us begin some of our work to extend our ED at Southend Hospital and work up business cases for other schemes that were dependent on the capital funding.

"With the change of government, there has not been a definitive indication that they will honour the commitment made by previous administrations and we remain hopeful that our schemes will be funded.

"The Trust's 10-year plan, very much in line with the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) plans to bring patient care and facilities up to modern standards, is absolutely reliant on funding to meet the ever-increasing needs of our population."

The previous Conservative government announced £3bn of investment for upgrading estates and services during 2017 and 2018, with MSE announced as one of the biggest beneficiaries at the time.

However, the evolution of what is now known as the Upgrades Programme meant the DHSC told trusts that proposals would need to be reassessed to ensure the funding was being spent effectively.

In response to Mr Hopkins' comments, a DHSC spokesperson said: "This government inherited a broken NHS, and Lord Darzi's investigation found that capital investment has been neglected, with the hospital estate left to crumble.

"That's why we announced a £26bn increase in health and social care funding at the budget.

"This funding package included the highest capital budget in real terms since before 2010.

"We are making sure every penny of extra investment is well spent, so that all patients receive care in buildings that are safe and fit for purpose."

Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford is one of three major centres run by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

The uncertainty comes as the MSE is planning to cut 743 whole-time equivalent posts before March 2026 as its board targets £118m in savings this year.

Chief executive Mr Hopkins said in May that an increase of 2,000 roles in recent years had prompted a review of staffing models to ensure "value for money".

MSE has also considered the closure of St Peter's Hospital, in Maldon, but put that decision on hold last September amid protests and community anger.

An independent review described plans for the proposed closure of the community hospital as "utterly inadequate" and pointed to "grave errors" in how its decommissioning would be financed.

MSE was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission almost three years ago and rated overall as requiring improvement, with specific areas including leadership and use of resourcing falling into the same rating.