THE trust which runs Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester has been told the Government will write off its debt as part of its commitment to support them during the struggle to fight coronavirus.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has had its £8 million debt wiped in a package of NHS reforms announced by the Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
The changes, the Government say, will provide financial support during the pandemic, as well as assistance for the NHS to become more financially sustainable.
Winchester MP Steve Brine welcomed the write-off: “I was delighted to hear this. The team at HHFT are on the frontline of the war against the Covid19 and I know how hard they are all working to save lives. It is clear the Government is doing everything possible to make sure that our local NHS gets itself, and us, through this crisis but also to allow trusts such as ours to recover quickly when we pass this acute phase.”
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust will have debts of £5 million written off and neighbouring organisations The Solent NHS Trust has had over £9 million scrapped and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust will have over £125million wiped.
Mr Hancock has written to all MPs with constituencies in England to let them know that the Government will be writing off £13.4 billion of hospital trust debt.
He said that it 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,” Mr Hancock added.
Pictured; Steve opening RHCH's new A&E department after securing funding for it
