Poor leadership is blamed for financial problems in NHS

Inadequate leadership at board level or ineffective management—and on some occasions both—have led to the serious financial problems seen in some NHS bodies, says England's public spending watchdog.

Key people, including chief executives and finance directors, taking their “eye off the ball” and being distracted by other business, such as building projects, have led to “a lack of robust budget-setting” and poor accounting, says the Audit Commission in a report on financial failure in NHS organisations in England published this week.

For its report the commission reviewed 25 organisations that had been the …