NHS in England ends financial year £200m in debt

Nearly a third of the extra £600m ($960m) already released to the NHS in the UK from the £2bn boost announced in last month's Budget could be wiped out by accumulated debt, a report from the National Audit Office makes clear.

The NHS Confederation, which represents health authorities and trusts, is “optimistic” that the NHS will be allowed to write off England's £197m deficit with the first tranche of new money, even though the health secretary, Alan Milburn, has said that much of it will be earmarked for specific purposes. A …