Skip to main content

NHS: Finance

Volume 498: debated on Wednesday 28 October 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of central Government funding to primary care trusts in (a) Bolton and (b) England which is spent on management costs. (295306)

The management costs of Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT), as published in its 2008-09 audited accounts, represent approximately 1.7 per cent. of its net operating costs. This excludes any management costs incurred by the providers of the health care that is commissioned by the PCT.

Bolton PCT’s main provider is Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. NHS foundation trusts have independent status in the national health service and are free from the Department’s powers of direction. They are not required to complete information data requests that do not fit with mandatory requirements, which includes management costs.

The management costs of the NHS organisations that report to the Department represent approximately 3 per cent. of the overall NHS expenditure.