Debt write-off for Hinchingbrooke Hospital will mean “more stable footing for the long term”
£25 million of funding awarded to expand Hinchingbrooke Hospital - Credit: Archant
A decision to write off £268 million of outstanding debt at Hinchingbrooke Hospital has been welcomed by Huntingdon MP Jonathan Djanogly.
Hinchingbrooke is among several hospitals across the country to have its outstanding debt written off as part of a Government announcement to scrap £13.4 billion of NHS debt across England.
The Government says the decision has been made to “rid more than one hundred NHS hospitals of historic debt, freeing them up to invest in maintaining vital services and longer-term infrastructure improvements”.
The announcement comes alongside a new funding model to make sure the NHS has the necessary funding and support to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Other Government measures to support the NHS during the pandemic include: the setting up of a £5 billion Covid-19 Response Fund; temporary NHS Nightingale Hospitals in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Harrogate; free car parking for NHS workers at hospitals and bringing recently retired doctors and nurses back into the NHS.
“I am delighted that the NHS Trust that runs Hinchingbrooke Hospital will have £268 million worth of debt written off as part of the Government’s announcement to reset NHS finances.
“This will help put NHS hospitals, mental health and community services across Huntingdonshire in a stronger position not only to deal with coronavirus in the short term, but on a stable footing in the long term as well.
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“The government is committed to doing whatever it takes to tackle coronavirus – and this announcement will give the NHS the financial certainty it needs to respond to the pandemic and help save lives.”
Health secretary Matt Hancock announced that £1.7 billion of debt would be written off in the East of England, as part of a major financial reset for NHS providers
In total, 12 NHS Trusts in the East of England are to be rid of historic debt, freeing them up to invest in maintaining vital services and longer-term infrastructure improvements.
Across the country, 107 Trusts have an average of £100 million revenue debt each, with the two Trusts with the highest debts reaching a combined total of more than £1 billion.
