NHS owes £44m in unpaid invoices to care providers

Failure by the NHS to pay social care providers in the Thames Valley is causing a "critical situation", according to the chair of the Oxfordshire health overview scrutiny committee, Jane Hanna.

Data provided by the Oxfordshire Association of Care Providers (OACP) shows Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) owes £44m in unpaid invoices to organisations delivering its Continuing Health Care (CHC) services.

In a letter to the chief executive of Thames Valley ICB, Nick Broughton, Hanna described the delayed payments as "deeply alarming" with many care providers operating on "tight margins" to stay afloat.

Thames Valley ICB has apologised to suppliers facing "knock-on effects" from the delays.

Unlike adult social care, which is means tested and can be arranged through local councils, CHC is a package of care arranged and funded solely by the NHS.

According to data provided by the OACP, 10,000 invoices were left unpaid in Oxfordshire in April, when Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board transitioned to become Thames Valley ICB.

The situation deteriorated further by the end of April, with care providers being unable to access a national NHS platform, with 16,000 unpaid invoices in Oxfordshire and £44m owed across the region.

It amounts to about 15% of the CHC budget and is expected to take six months to deal with the backlog.

In a statement, NHS Thames Valley said it wanted to reassure suppliers that it was "working hard to clear outstanding invoices".

A spokesperson said: "We have a clear process in place, identifying any bottlenecks in the process, as well as supporting those suppliers raising critical cashflow concerns by prioritising processing where it is most needed."

The care board said it was monitoring the situation closely, "exploring opportunities to clear invoices and speed up payments" and it was satisfied these are producing "positive results".

The spokesperson continued: "We recognise the difficulty suppliers are currently facing and the knock-on effects for their employees and would like to apologise to those affected."