NHS deficit reported is just the hospital provider sector so excludes GP services, NHS England/CCG/DOH budgets. So not the whole picture by a long way but plays into the NHS in crisis storyline being promoted.
As NHS England set prices for services for NHS providers and also commission those services it's pretty easy to place the deficit where you want it to suit a narrative.
NHS deficit reported is just the hospital provider sector so excludes GP services, NHS England/CCG/DOH budgets. So not the whole picture by a long way but plays into the NHS in crisis storyline being promoted.
As NHS England set prices for services for NHS providers and also commission those services it's pretty easy to place the deficit where you want it to suit a narrative.