Downing Street Says » NHS Finance

Asked if there was anything to add about the NHS financial report that was published this morning, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said she had nothing further to add to what Patricia Hewitt had said this morning. The deficit was 0.2 per cent of the budget. That was not to say that the NHS bodies who overspent should not address their problems. Patricia Hewitt would be writing to all areas of the Health Service offering advice on how to improve financial management.

Put to the PMS that considering there was more money being spent on the NHS than there had been previously, how could this have happened, the PMS said that was correct that more money than ever was being spent on the NHS. There was now £69 billion being spent on the NHS, and the projected deficit was under £140 million. Many trusts and hospitals were managing extremely well, and we were hoping that those who were experiencing difficulties would look to the good practice of others.

Put to the PMS that Patricia Hewitt had made clear this morning that those hospitals that were failing would have to close, and did Number 10 have a problem with that, the PMS said Patricia Hewitt was the Health Secretary, and people should speak to the DoH about the detail.

5 Comments »

I was just wondering since the Maggie Thatcher era of cut backs that now our NHS is being miss managed take the fact that we cannot get enough nurses to join the NHS we have to employ foreign skilled. then we have the fact that our hospitals are now suffering with potentally killer bugs and some of our hospitals are now out dated. To my way of thinking is, that if we cure all these problems by the time we have done it. Which experts say will take the next ten to fifteen years. we once again have an out dated NHS. It just seems to me we are spending good money chasing bad.
Comment by jamie mccoy — 27 Jun 2005 on 1:25 pm | Link
The second largest spend – the first being pay – is equipping. Equipment is purchased through 2 main sources – NHS Logistics for basic "stock" and many commercial companies. We have a network of Consortiums and Confederations managing and negotiating equipping costs and many Trusts have buying/supplies departments where their primary activity is saving their Trust’s money. However, prices go up year-on-year and all NHS Trusts pay VAT on everything save food and clothing.
I think that the Government should look to the VAT office and either re-claim VAT and plough it back into the NHS, and look into lifting this purchase tax.
Comment by Paul Foulds — 1 Dec 2005 on 6:42 pm | Link
I believe that david cameron has got the right idea, improve the NHS, and offer tax cuts in return, then see what the public accepts!!!
Comment by Bunny — 19 Oct 2006 on 12:46 pm | Link
I believe that david cameron has got the right idea, improve the NHS, and offer tax cuts in return, then see what the public accepts!!!
Comment by Bunny — 19 Oct 2006 on 12:47 pm | Link
I believe that david cameron has got the right idea, improve the NHS, and offer tax cuts in return, then see what the public accepts!!!
Comment by Bunny — 19 Oct 2006 on 12:47 pm | Link

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» Friday, June 24, 2005

NHS Finance

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