£500m hole in NHS finances

The NHS is battling to fill a ?500 million hole in its finances, research suggests today.

The largest overspend was in south-west London, at £69.2 million, where three primary care trusts ran out of money last year, causing cash flow problems in Hammersmith, Ealing and the Chelsea and Westminster hospitals.

A survey of strategic health authorities by the Health Service Journal found a total reported deficit of £497 million. Half said they expected to be in debt at the end of the financial year.