Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has welcomed the news that the Government will be writing off £42,594,000 of debt from Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust as part of a £13.4billion NHS national debt write off.
Cancelling this debt will provide much needed financial support during this unprecedented viral pandemic, as well as laying secure foundations for the longer-term commitments set out last year to support the NHS to become more financially sustainable.
The debt write-off is part of a package of major reforms to the NHS financial system, designed in a collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, which began from the start of the new financial year.
Commenting, Steve said:
“As Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care I have been working closely with the Ministerial team at the Department of Health and Social Care to bring about these changes.”
“Getting rid of this £42.5million debt will free Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust up to invest in maintaining vital services and longer-term infrastructure improvements, absolutely essential during both the current COVID-19 pandemic and for long term future planning.”
“This debt which has been built up over a number of years has been a difficult issue for the NHS in Cornwall and it is great that we will now be free from it. I will continue to work with colleagues to ensure these national reforms are delivered and that Cornwall’s NHS services continue to get the support we need.”