A healthy guarantee for Hackney

Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch questioned health minister Patricia Hewitt on health finance.

The Trust is lending 3 per cent of its budget this financial year to support primary care trusts elsewhere in London.

Meg pointed out that both Hackney’s Homerton hospital and Primary Care Trust have had balanced books since their creation.

Meg called for assurances that the money loaned from Hackney to other areas of the NHS would be paid back; with interest and on time.

In response the health secretary pledged to ensure loans were returned.
The Secretary of State said ‘I guarantee that money leant from the Hackney health community to other parts of London to manage the financial problems of the current year will be returned to them’

Meg also questioned whether Hackney’s success would be replicated in other boroughs.
Meg said, ‘will she also consider how the good management in Hackney can be extended to other parts of the NHS? If the books can be balanced in Hackney, which has severe health needs, they can be balanced elsewhere.’