Julian Knight MP has welcomed the announcement that University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust will benefit from a £34,634,000 debt write-off as part of the government’s announcement to scrap £13.4 billion of NHS debt across England.
Trusts across the Midlands will see a total of £3,473,631,000 – that’s almost £3.5 billion – of debt written off thanks to this move.
This debt write-off will rid more than a hundred NHS hospitals of historic debt, freeing them up to invest in maintaining vital services and longer-term infrastructure improvements. This announcement also comes alongside a new NHS funding model to make sure the NHS has the necessary funding and support to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The changes will provide much needed financial support during this unprecedented viral pandemic, as well as laying secure foundations for the longer-term commitments set out last year to support the NHS to become more financially sustainable.
Commenting on the news, Julian said:
“This is an extremely welcome move, which will give our local NHS more resources for front-line care as we continue the fight against Covid-19. I’m very pleased that the Government continues to demonstrate it’s commitment to doing whatever it takes to support the Health Service as we overcome this crisis.”
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, added:
“As we tackle this crisis, nobody in our health service should be distracted by their hospital’s past finances. This £13.4 billion debt write off will wipe the slate clean and allow NHS hospitals to plan for the future and invest in vital services.
“I remain committed to providing the NHS with whatever it needs to tackle coronavirus, and the changes to the funding model will give the NHS immediate financial certainty to plan and deliver their emergency response.”
