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CCG investigates £900k A&E cost hike

CCG investigates £900k A&E cost hike
20 August 2014



A clinical commissioning group (CCG) is currently investigating a “significant increase” in the cost of accident and emergency at the local hospital. 
The work increase has resulted in a £900,000 jump in the cost of the commissioned service at Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals trust over the past two months. 
Trust board papers for July suggested this was due to “more patients reaching the four-hour target, being booked in as a non-elective emergency and therefore attracting higher tariff”. 

A clinical commissioning group (CCG) is currently investigating a “significant increase” in the cost of accident and emergency at the local hospital. 
The work increase has resulted in a £900,000 jump in the cost of the commissioned service at Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals trust over the past two months. 
Trust board papers for July suggested this was due to “more patients reaching the four-hour target, being booked in as a non-elective emergency and therefore attracting higher tariff”. 
However Liverpool CCG has created a taskforce to investigate the cost increase. 
A CCG spokeswoman said the organisation had been aware of a significant increase in emergency zero length of stay admissions in the trust at the start of this year. 
The spokeswoman said: “We are currently exploring the background and potential changes in clinical pathways that sit behind this with the trust and the associated financial consequences.” 
Royal London has recently made changes to improve patient flow and ensure that patients are cared for in the most appropriate setting. 
Debbie Barnett, acting deputy director of finance at Royal Liverpool said: “Following advice from the emergency care intensive support team, we reviewed the conditions for the use of our observation beds in the emergency department to use these more regularly for ambulatory care, rather than admit these patients into hospital for a short stay. 
“This has led to an increase in non-elective admissions being classed as having a zero length of stay.” 

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