FT suffering ‘ridiculous’ cash shortage after national support withheld

The former national NHS finance director has declared it “ridiculous” his trust is operating with only enough cash to cover one day, after NHS England withheld deficit support.

Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust has been hit by the withholding of deficit support funding to the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System this financial year, due to concerns over the latter’s financial position.

This contributed to a significant drop in cash balances in September, according to University Hospital of Liverpool Group board papers. The trust finance report said it ended the month with £5.5m in the bank, which was equivalent to “one operating cash days”.

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Source: HSJ 17 November 2025