George Eustice MP questioned the Health Minister in Parliament on Tuesday as to what his department is doing to resolve the indebtedness of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, and asked him to ensure that Cornwall will receive fair funding.
George stated, "The Secretary of State will be aware of the indebtedness of the Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, and that Cornwall as a whole has suffered a disadvantage for many years as a result of the previous Government’s funding formula, having actually received less than the Department’s target budget for many years. Does he agree that such factors should e taken into account when deciding how to reschedule the debts of such trusts?”
George has been concerned both as a candidate and as an MP that the level of debt in Cornish hospitals is unsustainable and unacceptable. This indebtedness is a result of several factors, including insufficient funding levels, and George has been working hard to address this problem with the Department of Health and with the Cornwall PCT.
George welcomed the response from Andrew Landsley, the Secretary of State: "My hon. Friend will know, from our conversations and from my visit to Cornwall and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, the steps that we are taking alongside other NHS trusts to bring them up to high standards of care and financial sustainability. In that regard, the 3.1% increase in revenue allocations for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly primary care trust between last year and this year will help Cornwall as a whole towards greater financial sustainability."