THE report about the continuing financial crisis at the Royal Bolton Hospital (December 28) stated that the current debts are a culmination of overspending in the last three years, and that part of that debt was to be repaid from the sale of Hulton Lane Hospital.
The overspending was necessary, however, to meet Government targets without affecting patient services. The hospital could have worked within their budget if the Government had provided adequate finance in the first place.
Hulton Lane Hospital belongs to the people of Bolton, and any proceeds of sale should, therefore, be used to further improve the health services in Bolton.
They should not be used to bale out the Government because it has failed to provide adequate funding for the Royal Bolton Hospital in the past.
It has been accepted that the hospital has been underfunded previously, and, as a result, this is the cause of the historic debt.
(Name and address supplied)
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