Moreover, many hospital trusts are already in deficit. By halfway through this financial year, some three-quarters were said to be running deficits, at a combined level that may go as high as £2 billion. Excessive spending on agency staff is one culprit. But the accumulation of deficits, which big hospitals can run even if local authorities cannot, is widely seen as a sign of a system that is close to breaking point.
What makes matters worse still are sharp cuts in local-authority social care. These mean that more elderly (often demented) patients are being kept in hospital beds for longer. The NHS is already channelling some cash to local authorities to avert this.