Hospital set to cutback on pies

PIE-LOVING patients and visitors at the Royal Oldham Hospital could be faced with empty shelves amid plans to tackle soaring food and energy price hikes.

The Pennine Acute Trust has vowed to keep orders of pies and pastries, deemed “low profit, high cost”, to a minimum as part of a series of money-saving measures.

The trust, which runs hospitals in Oldham, Rochdale, North Manchester and Bury, has identified an extra £200,000 needed to cover the cost of providing food for patients and staff. It is also expecting this year’s energy bills to reach £6.5 million, £4 million more than 2007-08.

A number of energy efficiency and cost-cutting measures are being put in place to tackle the hefty price hikes.

The trust has looked at how the Royal Oldham uses its computers, has improved pipe insulation and has developed an energy saving campaign for staff.

Patients and customers are also facing increased sandwich prices as well as the use of cheaper, alternative ingredients.

The trust has managed to cover the extra £200,000 in this year’s food budget of £3.2 million.

A spokesman for Pennine Acute Trust said issue was affecting all hospitals. He said: “Our energy budget last year was under £5 million and, in line with advice, we increased that by 40 per cent for the 2008-09 budget.

“However, rising prices mean that we have now been advised to plan for an 85 per cent year-on-year increase.

“We are working hard to identify how we can accommodate these cost increases.

“However, we must stress they are only forecasts at this stage and represent the worst-case scenario.

“In partnership with the Carbon Trust, we are continuing to invest in a number of energy-saving initiatives, including a campaign to encourage staff to turn off equipment and turn down heating whenever possible.”