The Health Foundation's response to the NAO report on the financial sustainability of the NHS

A report by the National Audit Office (NAO), Whitehall's spending watchdog, released today (Friday 7 November 2014) revealed that the financial position of the NHS has worsened since 2012-13, with growing financial stress in NHS trusts and foundation trusts. The NAO say these trends are not sustainable.

Anita Charlesworth, Chief Economist at the Health Foundation, comments: 'The report from the NAO confirms the number of NHS providers that are struggling to balance their books. It is almost certain that the NHS will be in deficit by the end of this year. While this is a general problem across England, at the end of the last financial year 29 hospitals were in deficit of more than 5% of their income. To add to this, NHS England has reduced the amount it expects to underspend this year from £467m to £283m.

Media contact

Mike Findlay, Media Manager
T: 020 7257 8047
E: mike.findlay@health.org.uk