Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

About

The trust employs 2,900 people and has 400 volunteers. Each year the trust treats 25,000 inpatients, 26,000 non-elective patients and 150,000 outpatients. The emergency department treats over 51,000 each year. An average 2,600 babies are born each year at the Airedale General Hospital. The trust achieved NHS foundation trust status on 1 June 2010.

The trust broke from the national pay agreement in August 2015 by giving a 1% pay rise to its senior non-clinical staff - those earning above £57,069 - in line with the award for the rest of the staff.

In 2017 the trust established a subsidiary company, AGH Solutions Ltd, to which 325 estates and facilities staff were transferred. The intention was to achieve VAT benefits, as well as pay bill savings, by recruiting new staff on less expensive non-NHS contracts. VAT benefits arise because NHS trusts can only claim VAT back on a small subset of goods and services they buy. The Value Added Tax Act 1994 provides a mechanism through which NHS trusts can qualify for refunds on contracted out services.

In 2022 the outstanding maintenance bill was £414 million, the third largest in the English NHS.

Hospitals

The trust currently operates the following hospitals:

• Airedale General Hospital, the trust's main hospital in Steeton near Keighley, Airedale.
• Castleberg Hospital, a small community hospital in between Settle and Giggleswick in Craven, founded 1834
• Skipton General Hospital, a small community hospital in central Skipton, Craven, founded 1899

Additionally the trust provides some services at Coronation Hospital in Ilkley in Wharfedale. The trust used to formerly own Coronation Hospital; recent talks have led to the possibility to Coronation Hospital returning to the trust, however there have also been talks for the trust to build a new £3.3m community hospital to serve the Ilkley area.

The trust is viewed as a pioneer in telemedicine in the UK and has used the technology to support very vulnerable patients, particularly those with dementia and in nursing homes. Plans were announced in November 2013 to roll the service out to 50 more nursing and residential homes working with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

In 2024, Airedale General Hospital added solar panels to their new multi-storey car park as part of their Securing the Future initiative.

Performance

It was awarded Disability Confident Employer status in 2022.

References

References

1. "About us". Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
2. "Quality Account, Page 3". Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.
3. (3 September 2015). "Three more trusts snub national pay agreement". Health Service Journal.
4. (14 February 2017). "In full: Trusts with staff transfer plans". Health Service Journal.
5. (11 November 2022). "Chart of the week: The cost of NHS backlog maintenance hits an all-time high". Nuffield Trust.
6. "Urology". airedale-trust.nhs.uk.
7. "Occupational therapy". airedale-trust.nhs.uk.
8. (5 January 2012). "Health chiefs in talks over future of Ilkley's Coronation hospital". Ilkley Gazette.
9. (5 January 2012). "Debate over future of Coronation Hospital". [[Telegraph & Argus]].
10. "Support growing for a Telemedicine revolution in home care". homecare.co.uk.
11. "Securing the Future: Caring for the Environment". NHS.
12. (25 October 2022). "Airedale NHS trust recognised as 'Disability Confident'". Keighley News.