Hospital goes to City for pounds 25m

An NHS trust is going to the City to seek the pounds 25m it needs to complete a hospital.

The Government has put up pounds 28m for an accident and emergency department and half the wards. But managers at Barnet General hospital, north London, have been told they are unlikely to get the balance from public funds. Now Tony Orton, chairman of the Wellhouse Trust, says it has been talking to money lenders about investing in the hospital.

'Our site is now an extremely valuable asset. Any investors might want private wards as a return for their investment.