A HOSPITAL could close to save the NHS in Bromley millions of pounds.

Shutting Orpington Hospital, including its successful treatment centre, is one of the cost-cutting options being looked at by the new acting chief executive of Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust Anthony Sumara and his team.

The trust needs to find £20 million worth of savings by the end of the year in order to balance the books and is considering the closures depite the £8 million treatment centre being open for just under four years.

Mr Sumara is an expert in bailing out financially ailing NHS trusts and was appointed Turnaround Director for London earlier this year.

The trust’s problems are partly due to the fact that the Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough was built under one of the Government’s private finance initiatives, by borrowing huge amounts of capital from the private sector.

The Orpington Treatment Centre has served about 3,500 patients in the last year. It has been credited with improving and speeding up patient care in the borough by taking pressure off the larger hospital’s surgeons facing soaring demand in accident and emergency.

The hospital also provides 40 intermediate care beds for the borough.

John Horam, MP for Orpington, said he was shocked NHS managers were even considering closing it.

He said: “The treatment centre has only been open for about three years. In that time it has become hugely successful.

“Staff and patients love it. It is a core part of Orpington Hospital and last year a new operating theatre was added, giving a clear signal it was both clinically and financially successful. It is complete madness therefore that it now appears to be under threat.”

Mr Horam said he was unhappy with the financial information released by the trust.

He said: “The new management says that it has to cut £12.5 million a year from the trust’s costs. I am suspicious of this figure.

“It conflicts with the previous information we were given that the deficit created as a result of the private finance initiative had been dealt with, and the trust was breaking even operationally.

“I was also assured recently by the chief executive of NHS London that there was enough money in the system to deal with current financial problems.

“So why the sudden turn-about? It smacks of incompetence.”

What do you think hospital bosses should do to save money? Write to Bromley Extra, River House, Maidstone Road, Foots Cray, Sidcup, Kent DA14 5RH or e-mail bromley extra@thekmgroup.co.uk

FULL STORY IN THIS FRIDAY'S BROMLEY EXTRA