Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-specialist trust acute hospitals were in financial deficit at the end of the 2013-14 financial year.

At the 2013-14 financial year-end, there were 102 National Health Service trusts and 147 foundation trusts, each of which produced their own financial accounts. Of which, the Department recognise 62 non-specialist acute NHS trusts and 83 non-specialist foundation trusts, 145 organisations in total.

Of these 145 organisations, the majority (ie 87) reported a financial surplus whilst 58 reported a financial deficit.

NHS providers are required to deliver a break-even position. Where deficits occur they must be tackled in the right way. The NHS Trust Development Authority and Monitor, the independent regulator for foundation trusts, have a robust process for ensuring that trusts in deficit put a plan in place to recover their position, which in some instances will only be achieved in the medium term.