Trusts refuse to fund Paddington Campus

The troubled Paddington Health Campus (PHC) project is facing a funding crisis with all but eight of more than 300 primary care trusts (PCTs) refusing to pay towards the cost of the scheme. This leaves the scheme facing a funding shortfall of 20%.
Julian Nettel, chief executive of St Mary's Hospital NHS Trust, confirmed this. He told CJ: "It is still the case that those PCTs outside north-west London have yet to give their agreement to the scheme."
He added: "It is about 20% of the total amount of money needed. It is not a make or break issue, although it would help enormously if we can secure it."
The proposed scheme was recently the subject of a damning review by the National Audit Office, the Treasury and the Department of Health (DoH), after costs soared from £360m to £800m in three years (CJ 15 September).
The PHC project team is now working on a new outline business case (OBC) that looks at four options, including the original scheme, scaled down by 15%. The new PHC scheme could see the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals and St Mary's all rebuilt at the St Mary's site in Paddington and would involve a land swap deal with Chelsfield.
Industry observers say buy-in from the scheme's outlying Trusts is vital. One leading health consultant said: "If the PHC scheme is to get the go ahead, it needs the support of its PCT commissioners, but many outlying PCTs are concerned at the cost of the scheme and would prefer to provide services more locally through NHS LIFT schemes and diagnostic and treatment centres."
Documents leaked to CJ this week reveal that the PHC team had serious doubts about any scheme that did not include The Point building, owned by Chelsfield, as a decant solution. This option has now been ditched.
The documents state there is "no feasible decant plan available" and warn any alternative "will probably involve a less effective and more disruptive solution", causing delays of up to three years.