£50m costs explosion for NHS in city-region

GREATER Manchester's NHS has experienced a "mini explosion" in costs as it deals with a £50m overspend in its budget for this year.

- JOSEPH TIMAN

Collective action by GPs, which means that family doctors are stopping or reducing certain work, and approval of "enormously expensive" drugs are causing unforeseen cost pressures, local health bosses have said.

This follows a report to Greater Integrated Manchester's Care Board (ICB) that reveals a deficit in this year's budget of £49.2m, up from the £30.7m that had been budgeted for.

Interim chief finance officer Kathy Roe told the board that the extra cash for the NHS announced in the Budget last month is expected to plug some of the gap locally.