Changes must take finances into account

Changes in the way small hospitals work within the newly configured group system must take account of the difficult financial circumstances, it has emerged.

The report — Securing the Future of Smaller Hospitals: a Framework for Development — says changes that could be achieved without extra cost would be prioritised.

Where extra costs cannot be avoided, they will be quantified and an approach to dealing with them identified, such as achieving savings elsewhere. It says changes that can be achieved without extra cost can occur where staff transfer to a hospital together with the corresponding budget.