The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7431 p725
16 December 2006

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NHS Scotland underspent

NHS Scotland was underspent by £71m on its £9bn budget at the end of the 2005–06 financial year, compared with an overspend of £32m the year before. This is the conclusion of an Audit Scotland report published this week (PDF 1MB).

The report says the underspend relates to capital spending rather than the day-to-day running of the NHS. However, two health boards, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Western Isles, failed to meet budget targets and the accounts for NHS Highland were qualified.

Despite the overall underspend, the report points out that the NHS still faces financial pressures. Robert Black, Auditor General for Scotland, said all boards “have to deliver efficiency savings, highlighting the need for robust long-term financial and service planning to meet the challenges that lie ahead”.