But there will not always be financial deductions if facilities are unavailable

1.20  While THC Dartford can lose up to 100% of its availability fee in any month not all Hospital areas are liable to a financial deduction in the advent of unavailability. The Trust decided to place greater emphasis on those areas which it considered most critical to patient care. The contract specified the main areas for which deductions could be made and further details were finalised after contract letting. In July 2000 the Trust board gave approval to a list of areas where deductions are not possible for unavailability (Figure 4).

4

Areas within the Hospital that THC Dartford is responsible for maintaining but are not subject to a financial deduction if an area becomes unexpectedly unavailable1

Pathology

Hospital Management

Social Services

Fracture Clinic

Patient Services, Shops, Café, Main Reception, Waiting List Department

Rehabilitation (including Physiotherapy)/Hydrotherapy

Speech therapy

Dieticians

Medical Records

Chapel

Ellenor Foundation

Hotel Redwood

Occupational Health

The Phillip Farrant Education Centre

Children's Resource Centre

NOTE

1  THC Dartford is allowed, in agreement with the Trust, to make an area (such as an operating theatre) unavailable, without suffering a financial deduction, if this is to carry out the contractual programme of Planned Preventive Maintenance.

1.21  Some of the areas where the Trust cannot make deductions if the facilities are unavailable could cause considerable difficulties for the treatment of patients if these facilities cannot be used. These include pathology, the fracture clinic, physiotherapy and medical records. The fact that THC Dartford cannot suffer a financial deduction for these areas could, in theory, reduce THC Dartford's incentive to keep these areas well maintained and to remedy any problems promptly. The Trust notes however that there has only been one significant problem in areas which are not subject to payment deductions. There was a flooding in Medical Records, and this was dealt with immediately by Carillion.