05 July 2002
The public spending watchdog found that trusts in the principality took 21 months to sell properties identified as surplus to requirements, compared with 14 months for those on the other side of Offa's Dyke. The average cost of each sale was £20,000 and £17,500 respectively.
Inspectors also said the NHS in Wales should identify more sales. In the past ten years, £53m has been raised, but the NAO estimated that a further £30m of surplus property could be hived off in due course.
The report also rebuked the Welsh Assembly for not monitoring trusts' modernisation and renewal programmes more carefully, saying the arrangements, 'do not provide an effective financial control or forecasting tool because information is either incomplete or late'. It called for the development of a 'high level' monitoring system.
Sir John Bourn, the auditor general for Wales, said trusts needed to pay closer attention to managing their capital assets.
'The NHS has many competing priorities, but it is still important that NHS trusts tighten their management grip to ensure that projects are delivered to quality, on time and within budget,' he said.
'Likewise, they need to ensure that property they no longer need is identified and sold promptly so that we can see the benefit ploughed back into care for patients.'
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