PFI in the NHS did not deliver value for money under Labour. It is unlikely to do so in the future under the Conservatives.

he use of the private finance initiative (PFI) to fund major capital projects in the NHS has been controversial since its inception in 1992. But the Secretary of State’s recent slamming of Labour’s PFI legacy, amidst a raft of reports criticising the PFI process, has re-ignited the debate. Sean Boyle finds that PFI policies in the Health Service lie on shaky ground and that both Conservatives and Labour are to blame for borrowing money at unsustainably high rates.