The chief executive of York and Scarborough hospitals has said the current model of delivering care is not sustainable amid financial concerns.
Long-term financial pressures at the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will require a reevaluation of the model of delivering care, according to its chief executive, Clare Smith.
The trust, which runs York, Scarborough, Malton and Bridlington hospitals, is undertaking an efficiency programme with a target of around £60m.
At a trust board meeting on Wednesday, May 27, Ms Smith welcomed progress in the waste reduction and productivity (WRAP) programme.
“We’ve taken a step forward; we now need to take a further step forward in terms of how we accelerate the delivery of some of this.
“And being really clear around the motivators for this, which is around making sure that moving forward we have a robust clinical strategy so that we’re able to make good, sensible decisions around how we spend our money, based on what adds the most value to our patients.”
She added: “But also, it supports our people to have a better experience at work, because continuing to deliver care as we currently deliver care is not sustainable.
“That model does need to change.”
Andrew Bertram, the trust’s finance director and deputy chief executive, said the organisation was currently facing a shortfall in its waste reduction and productivity programme.
“We’ve delivered £2.9 million in the month of April, against the £4.8 million requirement, so we’re £1.9 million short of the first month’s impact.”
He told health bosses: “The background context to that is that we’ve delivered £17 million of the £62 million savings.
“We’ve physically taken £17 million from agreed budgets with confirmed spend reductions that we’ll map out through the rest of the year, and I’m really pleased that almost £15 million of that is recurrent.
“That is more than the recurrent total last year in total that we removed in month one this year. There are some positives here, there absolutely are, but we can’t shake off the fact that we are £1.9 million behind where we need to be.”
The trust’s leadership will be participating in a national plan escalation meeting in London with Sir Jim Mackey, Penny Dash, and NHS England’s Regional Director and Regional Chair, along with other NHS England colleagues to discuss its financial situation.
Ms Smith said: “At the meeting, we will be required to present and discuss the action we are taking and the decisions we will need to make to ensure delivery of our financial plan and to achieve plan compliance.
“This level of challenge and scrutiny makes it all the more important for us to focus our attention on delivery of our waste reduction and productivity programme, and we are already nearly two months into this year’s plan.”
Yeehaw, partners! It’s almost time to step into York’s new saloon bar – and here’s a sneak peek as to what to expect.
As previously announced, the Nashville-inspired venue Silver Spur is set to swing open its saloon doors on Friday 29 May from 5pm.
For opening night, as well as serving up a slice of Americana with its menu, the venue will be offering a beginners line dancing class and live country music.
Silver Spur is opening at 18 Bridge Street, which was previously home to Rio Brazilian Steakhouse. Inside, the venue has been transformed, with neon light fixtures, barrel tables, haybale seats, Wild West inspired decor, and a wall of guitars.
The menu at Silver Spur features stone-baked pizzas, ‘proper’ hot dogs, loaded fries, and a build-your-own grilled cheese meal – where you can pick your bread, cheese, side, dip and any extras too.
There’s also a stacked dessert list, with plenty of American classics like Apple Pie, Banana Split, and Mississippi Mud Pie.
The bar will also feature ‘Bourbon, big cocktails, ice-cold lager and pickle-back shots’ – which is a shot of whiskey immediately chased by a shot of pickle brine.
Silver Spur will also feature regular live music nights and line dancing classes, with opening night featuring two hours of country fun with The Country Club Band UK.
The York opening is an expansion for The Silver Spur brand, which opened its first location in Wakefield in October 2025.
The director of Silver Spur Saloons Limited, the company that owns The Silver Spur bars, is Doug Smith – who was a previous licensee for The Gillygate and The Museum Street Tavern on Museum Street.
To find out more about Silver Spur Saloon Bar, visit their website here.
Ahead of its first rodeo this Friday, take a first look in a gallery below.
