R2OK!

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

What is the matter with this government? (Sorry, haven't got the will to live that long)

As well as being incompetent, they are hell-bent on elevating control-freakery to an art-form. Hundreds of millions of pounds of charity donations to hospitals are to be “nationalised” under an NHS accounting change, which critics say will make it easier to slash health budgets. Ministers are imposing new rules on NHS charities requiring all donations — including those to specialist children and cancer units, local fundraising campaigns, teaching hospitals and local community trusts — to be listed on a hospital’s balance sheet.

The Charities Commission says that this is “wholly inappropriate” because combining the trust and charity accounts will jeopardise the charity’s autonomy and discourage donations. About £330 million was given to 300 NHS charities in the year to June 2008, and they control an estimated £2 billion of assets. A spokeswoman for the Commission said: “The Charity Commission does not agree with the interpretation of the accounting rules in the Department of Health letter to NHS bodies. We are currently engaging with the Department on this matter.”

Jenny Willott, a Cabinet Office spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, said: “This could lead to hundreds of millions of pounds of charitable donations being effectively nationalised under the NHS. The Government has no right to get its hands on any charitable NHS funds. People make donations on the understanding that it is up to charities to decide how to spend it, not ministers.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6969955.ece
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Ron

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

As a former NHS manager I agree with all the above concerns. People usually give for specifics and will not donate if they think the money will go into a central black hole.

Ian.