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Welsh Government response to Wales Audit Office report into NHS finances

A Welsh Government spokesperson gave us this statement in response to the Wales Audit report into NHS finances;

The Wales Audit office recognises the achievement of NHS organisations in meeting their financial targets and that we have taken a prudent course of action to support them.

It is important to note that additional funding was not a bailout. The Health Boards were allowed to draw down a small percentage (0.2 %) of the future year's funding in order to provide some flexibility to manage their finances across the financial year end. As a condition of this flexibility, an exteral financial review of these organisations' financial plans has been commissioned.

– WELSH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON

The statement went on to say;

We are investing more than 43 per cent of the total Welsh Government budget in Health and Social Services, despite significant cuts to our budget by the UK Government.

– WELSH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
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Health board bailouts 'must end'
  1. Lynn Courtney

Plaid: 'Government must get health spending under control'

Plaid Cymru's call to get health spending under control follows todays report by the Welsh Audit Office which has criticised the Welsh Governments ' bailout ' funding of Local Health Boards as unsustainable.

The party are now repeating their message to Welsh Labour to get to grips with the problem.

Earlier this year, the party's Finance spokesperson , Ieuan Wyn Jones used strong terms and said that figures suggested " shambolic mismanagement" of public finances by the Welsh Government at a time when budgets were going down. Mr Jones went on to claim that the problems were deep rooted:

Plaid Cymru has repeatedly warned that the Welsh Government is in a position where its budget will continue to shrink over the coming years-money will be tight and services can only be maintained if Ministers maximise the value of every pound spent. The Labour Welsh Government is clearly failing to control its spending. Bailouts have doubled in just three years, and yet the Labour Health Minister has failed to get to grips with the situation.Astonishingly , she has bailed out four Health Boards despite having said there is no more money.

– IEUAN WYN JONES AM ,Plaid Cymru Health Spokesperson

Mr Jones went on to add:

Labour's decision to restructure health services around Wales is no more than a damaging distraction. This Labour Government's prority should be to improve primary and community healthcare.

– Ieuan Wyn Jones, Plaid Cymru Finance spokesperson
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Health board bailouts 'must end'

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