The NHS: Where does all the money go?

Part 14: NHS trusts

The UK’s Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, is making a big deal about the increased funding for hospital trusts and the need to ensure increased productivity.

“But there will be no more rewards for failure. We have got to get a grip on runaway spending and make sure every penny going to the NHS benefits patients – changes will not be popular, but it’s a case of reform or die,” said Streeting. 

So we asked how much money hospitals receive -  not an easy question to answer.

NHS England reports 220 general acute hospitals, 49 specialist and 246 community hospitals. These hospitals are run by 229 trusts, including 154 foundation trusts, which are semi-autonomous and have a degree of independence from the DHSC.

In November 2023, Wes Streeting, as the shadow health secretary, asked for a breakdown of expenditure.

The answer from conservative MP Andrew Stephenson provided a table with the breakdown of the spending.