£63bn PFI bill for the NHS

The NHS is facing a £63bn bill for PFI hospitals which are only worth a fraction of that.

The NHS still owes £58bn on more than a hundred PFI contracts over the next three decades, and will have to pay back more than £7bn in PFI payments over the next Parliament alone (2010-2015).

This is the disastrous reality of Labour’s managemant of the NHS. We’re in one of the most difficult financial periods in the NHS’s history and this Government’s legacy will be a mountain of debt. Despite the huge sums of money we owe for these hospitals, many will never end up in public hands. Hospitals all over the country are mortgaged to the hilt and there are serious concerns that these repayments will lead to cuts in vital services.

We need a new approach to public services in this country. By setting up an infrastructure bank we Lib Dems will ensure that key projects get access to the funding they need to revitalise our economy.

We Lib Dems will change how the NHS works so that patients come first and money goes further.