25 June 2004
The Private Finance Initiative needs to be reformed to make it more flexible, health service leaders have said.
The NHS Confederation has set out a ten-point plan to ensure that PFI projects maximise improvements for patients. It says that the process needs to be simplified and there should be more scope for projects to be modified to respond to changing needs.
Its report, published on June 22, says there should be more emphasis on promoting good design during the bidding process to ensure that the finished product fits its purpose.
It also calls for red tape to be slashed, arguing for a cut in the number of reviews that PFI projects have to undergo, and for tendering to be simplified to cut legal costs.
Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said she welcomed the extra investment in the health service that PFI had brought.
But she added: 'It has become increasingly clear that the PFI process needs to be less rigid to give trusts the flexibility they need to build hospitals that stand the test of time.'
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