As public sector managers look to find ever more creative ways of saving money, they would do well to study the enterprising thinking of NHS Kensington & Chelsea.
During a House of Commons speech yesterday Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt let slip that, prior to 2002, a hospital ward in the borough was hired out for the filming of a "big budget" pornographic movie.
The title of the film has yet to emerge, but it took place in a closed yet "fully-equipped" ward. It is also unclear whether the hospital was aware of the genre of film, or if it provided any technical support.
Mordaunt was speaking during a debate on improving transparency in government accounting:
"Although I cannot claim to have seen the final picture – as I understand it, these things are no longer claimable on parliamentary expenses – it was a big-budget affair and generated substantial income for the hospital. But apart from cheering up a few of the in-patients, it cannot be said to be contributing to the objectives of the primary care trust."
Rather than take credit for this innovative way of generating new income streams, NHS Kensington & Chelsea distanced itself from the matter: "We can confirm this incident occurred some time prior to 2002 under a predecessor organisation's management and prior to the formation of PCTs."
Do these unnamed money-making managers need to congratulated for taking the blue in blue-sky thinking quite literally?
