Pounds 70,000 Art Hospital in Red By Pounds 7.6m

By REBECCA SMITH

A HOSPITAL that spent Pounds 70,000 on a stone artwork has been warned over a Pounds 7.6 million shortfall.

University College London Hospital (UCLH) is subject to monthly checks by a watchdog body as a result.

The foundation hospital was criticised for spending charitable funds designated to improving the patient environment on a piece of granite outside the main entrance.

Now the trust that runs the hospital has discovered a Pounds 7.6 million black hole in its finances that it needs to fill before the end of April.

An email to staff from a trust manager leaked to the Standard shows pressure being put on frontline services to save money.

Alan Thompson, clinical director of the National Hospita, part of the trust, says: “We are not the only area within the trust to have problems and as a result the trust is in a very difficult financial situation.”

The trust said it has a turnover of almost Pounds 500million and is just one per cent adrift half way through the financial year. “The NHS is facing a challenging financial year and UCLH is no exception,” said a spokeswoman.