The government announced that financial savings of 1.7 billion had been achieved in the National Health Service since March 2004 200 million ahead of the target of 6.5 billion savings by March 2008 under the Gershon Report.
Source: Press release 6 December 2005, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: DH press release
Date: 2005-Dec
The government disclosed that the National Health Service was forecasting debts of around 620 million for 2004-05. Much of the deficit was attributed to the rising cost of new contracts for hospital consultants and family doctors, which was 390 million more than official estimates.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 1 December 2005, column 37WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | King's Fund press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
A think-tank report said that there was a resource gap in the National Health Service by 2010 of nearly 7 billion - equivalent to the gap between the real terms funding increase of 11.4 billion, and the total cost pressure of 18.2 billion.
Source: Nick Bosanquet, Henry de Zoete and Emily Beuhler, The NHS in 2010: Reform or bust, Reform (020 7799 6699)
Links: Report | Reform press release
Date: 2005-Dec
A report said that the National Health Service should be rewarded for getting people off incapacity benefit and back into work.
Source: Incapacity Benefit Reform and the NHS, NHS Confederation (020 7959 7272)
Links: Report (pdf) | NHS Confederation press release
Date: 2005-Oct
The National Health Service in England recorded an overall deficit of 250 million in 2004-05. 11 hospital trusts produced deficits of more than 10 million.
Source: NHS Organisations Annual Accounts Surplus and Deficits 2004-05, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf links) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
A report said that chronic underspending on the National Health Service throughout the 1980s and 1990s was grossly underestimated, and as a result a high proportion of the extra investment in the health service since 2002 had been spent compensating for previous funding shortages - including additional staff and improved pay.
Source: Money in the NHS: The facts, NHS Confederation (020 7959 7272)
Links: Report (pdf) | NHS Confederation press release | BMA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
An audit report said that the challenges facing local National Health Service bodies were unprecedented, and that improved financial management would be essential to meeting them.
Source: Financial Management in the NHS: NHS (England) summarised accounts 2003‑04, HC 60-1 (Session 2005-06), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) and Audit Commission
Links: Report (pdf) | NAO press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
A report summarized the financial position of National Health Service trusts in 2003-04. The cost of employing agency staff in NHS hospitals failed to rise for the first time in recent years. Private patient revenues generated by treating private patients in NHS hospitals barely rose, as demand for private healthcare slowed.
Source: NHS Trusts & Primary Care Trusts Financial Information 2005, Laing & Buisson (020 7833 9123)
Links: L&B press release
Date: 2005-May
An audit report said that the Local Improvement Finance Trust initiative, launched in 2001, was an effective means of improving primary health and social care. (The initiative involves the creation of partnerships which take ownership of the premises they builds or refurbish, and then lease the space to health and social care providers.)
Source: Innovation in the NHS: Local Improvement Finance Trusts, HC 28 (Session 2005-06), National Audit Office (020 7798 7000)
Links: Report (pdf) | NAO press release
Date: 2005-May
