Tuesday
27May2008
nhs prepaid suppliers
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 9:49PM
From the FT ::
WTF?
I'd be *very* interested to know what favourable terms the trusts negotiated before they generously handed over taxpayer's money in this way? No-one should prepay a supplier unless it means significant savings. Your money in other people's bank accounts is a financial no-no.
via. Mike Power
Hospitals and primary care trusts have prepaid suppliers many hundreds of millions of pounds and have hidden money in other ways in order to keep the National Health Service surplus for last year down to the forecast £1.8bn.
Without such action, senior NHS managers say, the declared surplus for the NHS in England in the financial year just ended is likely to have been nearer £3bn.
WTF?
I'd be *very* interested to know what favourable terms the trusts negotiated before they generously handed over taxpayer's money in this way? No-one should prepay a supplier unless it means significant savings. Your money in other people's bank accounts is a financial no-no.
via. Mike Power
Reader Comments (2)
Can't say I'm surprised to be honest - I worked for a Health Act (1999) Mental Health Partnership for a long time - and it was pretty standard practice to shuffle money between the two host organisations (the NHS trust & the Council) for work not yet carrie out; cheques were written on the basis of a friendly phone conversation - there was certainly no paperwork. These practices are widespread - the whole lot would be privatised in a heartbeat if people knew what went on.
Dan, that's all very Scary...
I suppose, the thing is, someone will always profit from health. In the US it's the drug companies and the huge insurance/administration industry that feeds off the system over there. And, from what I understand, the super-dooper French system is massively in the red.
Another truth is that a lot of people work very hard in the health service for very little reward. It's all just a mess.