Private sector run hospital made £2.3m loss in first quarter

The first financially challenged NHS hospital to have its management franchised out to the private sector has recorded a loss of £2.3m (€2.9m; $3.6m) in the first quarter of this financial year.

In February this year Circle took over the management of Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust in Cambridgeshire, which had debts of around £40m. At the time, Circle said it was confident it could turn the trust’s fortunes around and drew up a 16 point transformational plan to make cost improvements of £9.9m this …