DHSC faces £5.4m overspend

Staffing issues at Noble's among reasons for running over budget

The Department of Health and Social Care expects to be £5.4m over budget this year.

It's latest figures indicate the Department will spend a total of £228.5m providing its services during the 2019-20 financial year, having been allocated £223.1m in the budget.

The biggest overspend has come at Noble's Hospital, which is currently forecast to cost just over £8m more than expected, while UK referrals and patient transfers are almost £4m over budget.

Recruitment issues have led to additional costs at Noble's, with the use of agency and bank workers leaving staffing costs £4.5m over the expected figure.

Some areas are set to come in under budget though, including corporate services and primary health care.

The Department insists it's continuing to review its expenditure while ensuring frontline services are delivered at an appropriate level.