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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| NHS fears despite books balancing | NHS fears despite books balancing |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| Ministers are to confirm the NHS has balanced its books - although many hospitals and other parts of the service are still struggling with debt. | Ministers are to confirm the NHS has balanced its books - although many hospitals and other parts of the service are still struggling with debt. |
| A year ago the NHS finished with a deficit of more than £500m, but Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt staked her job on wiping out the debt in 2006-7. | A year ago the NHS finished with a deficit of more than £500m, but Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt staked her job on wiping out the debt in 2006-7. |
| Early figures even suggest there will be a surplus. | Early figures even suggest there will be a surplus. |
| The book balancing needed training and public health budget cuts. Extra cash due to the service was also held back. | The book balancing needed training and public health budget cuts. Extra cash due to the service was also held back. |
| It takes weeks to cut, it takes years to rebuild trust. Morale is at an all-time low Jonathan FieldenBritish Medical Association Feeling the pinch Send us your comments | It takes weeks to cut, it takes years to rebuild trust. Morale is at an all-time low Jonathan FieldenBritish Medical Association Feeling the pinch Send us your comments |
| In a speech on Wednesday, Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants' committee, will say the cuts have been "excessive". | In a speech on Wednesday, Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the British Medical Association's consultants' committee, will say the cuts have been "excessive". |
| "It takes weeks to cut, it takes years to rebuild trust. Morale is at an all-time low. | "It takes weeks to cut, it takes years to rebuild trust. Morale is at an all-time low. |
| "The profession is angry because of this government's mishandling of the health service and has lost all confidence that the government can solve the problems it has created." | "The profession is angry because of this government's mishandling of the health service and has lost all confidence that the government can solve the problems it has created." |
| He will also warn ministers: "We will not stand by and let you decimate hospitals for purely financial reasons." | He will also warn ministers: "We will not stand by and let you decimate hospitals for purely financial reasons." |
| Three-quarter year forecasts for 2006-7 showed that the health service was on course to break even. | Three-quarter year forecasts for 2006-7 showed that the health service was on course to break even. |
| But this masked the £1.3bn in deficits forecast to be run up by the third of hospitals and primary care trusts which pay for local services, not predicted to break even by the year-end. | But this masked the £1.3bn in deficits forecast to be run up by the third of hospitals and primary care trusts which pay for local services, not predicted to break even by the year-end. |
| These figures were almost exactly the same as the figures for 2005-6. | These figures were almost exactly the same as the figures for 2005-6. |
| The latest accounts will show that financial balance has only been achieved by taking money from elsewhere. | The latest accounts will show that financial balance has only been achieved by taking money from elsewhere. |
| First of all, £1.8bn of the extra money due to the NHS in 2006-7 - about a quarter of the total increase - was held back. | First of all, £1.8bn of the extra money due to the NHS in 2006-7 - about a quarter of the total increase - was held back. |
| And regional managers working for strategic health bosses have also made cuts to central budgets, such as training, to build up a £450m contingency fund. | And regional managers working for strategic health bosses have also made cuts to central budgets, such as training, to build up a £450m contingency fund. |
| 'Excessive' cuts | 'Excessive' cuts |
| That is on top of the thousands of job losses that have been forced on NHS trusts - 17,000 in the past 12 months, according to the NHS Information Centre. | That is on top of the thousands of job losses that have been forced on NHS trusts - 17,000 in the past 12 months, according to the NHS Information Centre. |
| And on the day the figures are announced the Times newspaper is reporting that it has seen a government memo revealing that more than half of patients are still waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment. | And on the day the figures are announced the Times newspaper is reporting that it has seen a government memo revealing that more than half of patients are still waiting longer than 18 weeks for treatment. |
| Ministers, due to publish full data on waits on Thursday, have pledged that by the end of next year all patients will be treated within this time limit. | Ministers, due to publish full data on waits on Thursday, have pledged that by the end of next year all patients will be treated within this time limit. |
| Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Cutting education and training and plundering public health budgets is not the way to manage the future of our NHS. | |
| "No other business would be run on boom and bust and neither should the health service." | "No other business would be run on boom and bust and neither should the health service." |
| But Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said: "Over nine out of 10 recent hospital patients say their care was good, very good or excellent and that is even better than it was a year earlier. | |
| "And that is despite the very difficult decisions that have had to be made by NHS staff in order to turn around the financial problems that we faced a year ago." |