Managers accuse ministers of spin over money for NHS

The health secretary's announcement last week that he was going to use his powers of direction to ensure that £600m ($960m) of new NHS money went to front line services has angered representatives of health authorities.

Alan Milburn told the House of Commons last week that £600m of the extra £2bn which the chancellor of the exchequer announced in the budget for the next financial year (1 April, p 889) would “put local hospital and GP services on to a sound financial footing.” The health secretary said that the money had to be spent on real services: “That …