NHS reports £1.5bn surplus ahead of increasing pressure

Only nine of the 276 NHS organisations failed to balance their books, although some required financial assistance to do so, the Audit Commission report showed. It added that almost a quarter of NHS trusts (27 in total) and 12 % of PCTs (18) received qualified value for money conclusions. The NHS Confederation said NHS leaders are starting out from a strong position to achieve the £20bn savings required of them, but pressure will increase in the years to come. Jo Webber, deputy director of policy at the body, said: "These figures show that many NHS leaders have got their organisatio...