St Bartholomew's resources allocation scheme

This scheme has three main features: it relates the output of work and materials from the department to the funding input (resource allocation), it enables the funding bodies to determine the level of output they are willing to support and it creates spare capacity to permit income generation either through charging for work done in excess of allocations made under the scheme or by attracting outside business. The system devolves upon the work unit as a measure of resource and this is made up of a combination of materials and time depending on the product. Derivation of work unit cost is given as a function of all reckonable operating costs of the department. Different profit margins may be applied according to category of request. Income is returnable to the funding bodies in the same ratio as their original provision to the service (for the current year of operation) after a deduction for reinvestment. The scheme allows for central funding to be progressively reduced to zero.