NHS providers have succeeded in cutting their deficit by two-thirds over the financial year just ended, however the service missed its target by more than £200m, official figures have shown.
NHS providers recorded a deficit of £648m in the first six months of the financial year, almost £1bn lower than in the same period last year, according to figures from NHS Improvement.
Three more hospital trusts are to enter a financial special measures programme run by NHS Improvement due to “significant concerns” about their finances, the regulator has announced.
Nearly half of the £3.8bn funding increase for the NHS next year is being ringfenced in a sustainability and transformation fund intended to improve the financial health of the service.
