NHS London is considering the future of the Sidcup hospital. One option is to close the site completely

South London NHS Trust is one of seven trusts set to receive a £1.5 billion bail out from the government over 25 years.

To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below.

The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up.

Email address

  Send link

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

Even though South London NHS Trust which has two PFI hospitals in Farnborough and Woolwich, is the most indebted trust on the list, a spokesman from the Department of Health could not confirm how much money it would get or when that decision would be made. But trust bosses expect it to be 15 to 20million a year.

When asked if this would save Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup from closure, the government spokesman said that decision would be made at a local level and trusts would only receive money of they could prove their finances were structurally sound.

Making the announcement today (3) Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “The NHS is delivering great results for patients but we know that a small number of NHS trusts with PFI arrangements have historic problems relating to these arrangements that make it very difficult for them to manage financially.

“Today’s announcement is the latest stage in a programme of work we began in 2010 to identify and tackle financial problems at local level in the NHS. In the past, local trusts have received extra funding on the quiet in order to avoid embarrassment. We have already signalled that we are determined to end these backroom deals by bringing greater transparency and openness to the process.

“We need to balance the accountability of the NHS at local level to live within its means on one hand, with recognising that there is a legacy of debt for some trusts with PFI schemes.

“And we need to be certain that those NHS trusts that face historic financial problems are not taking their eye off the most important issue of all – maintaining and improving their frontline patient care.”

The seven trusts which face serious structural financial issues will only receive additional support from the Department of Health if they can demonstrate they can meet four key tests. These are:

• The problems they face should be exceptional and beyond those faced by other organisations;

• They must be able to show that the problems they face are historic and that they have a clear plan to manage their resources in the future;

• They must show that they are delivering high levels of annual productivity savings;

• They must deliver clinically viable, high quality services, including delivering low waiting times and other performance measures.

The other six hospital trusts are:

• Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust

• Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

• Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

• North Cumbria NHS Trust

• Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Trusts must have in place local plans to achieve long-term financial balance, which will require other factors to be addressed, while continuing to deliver the best possible services for NHS patients. The funding will be provided in a transparent way that represents the best possible value for money for taxpayers.”