Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust will have their debt of £107.9-million debt written-off as part of the Government’s announcement to scrap £13.4 billion of NHS debt across England to support coronavirus efforts.
This debt write-off will rid more than one 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.
I am in weekly contact with NHS Northamptonshire Leaders and Government Health Ministers during this pandemic emergency and the significant government changes will mean Northampton General Hospital will continue to get all the necessary funding to carry out their emergency response and allow for future planning and to invest in vital services. It is important that all hospitals, like Northampton General Hospital, are equipped to deal with the pandemic and are not distracted by their past finances, and I fully endorse and welcome this announcement.
The Government continues to support and protect the NHS throughout the coronavirus outbreak by measures including:
- ensuring the NHS has any extra resources it needs to tackle the virus, including access to a £5 billion Covid-19 Response Fund;
- increasing the capacity of the NHS, with new temporary NHS Nightingale Hospitals, with eight open already; and
- providing free car parking for NHS workers at hospitals.
(Photo Above: [Archive]- Michael Ellis MP with the Secretary of State for Health, Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, at Northampton General Hospital in February 2019). (archive photo)