The Health Foundation research for the Financial Times showed £901m was spent on buying services from outside the health service in 2015/16 for care provided free at the point of use for NHS patients. It compared with £800m spent on purchasing the same kind of care from NHS trusts. The report also found that £1 in every £8 of local commissioners’ budgets in England is now spent on care provided by non-NHS organisations. The Health Foundation said the figures showed NHS providers have not had the capacity to deal with rising demand. “The NHS urgently needs to look at how to ensure additional funds reach NHS providers.

Source: The Guardian March 26, 2017 22:52 UTC