# NHS budget deficits cause Department of Health funding delays for charities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/04/11/nhs-budget-deficits-cause-department-health-funding-delays-charities/
- Published: 2006-04-11T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Hundreds of charities may not be able to deliver vital services, due to delays by
the Department of Health in releasing funding, caused by NHS budget deficits.
Some
of the charities, who have been waiting since January for a decision on funding 
applications, have had to make redundancies, as a result of the delay. Others face
closing their operations.

 

 

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As a result, the Compact Advocacy Programme, based at the National Council for Voluntary
Organisations (NCVO), has mounted a campaign to force the Department of Health to
advise charities on whether they will receive funding and transfer the money immediately.

 

 

The campaign has so far had some success, with the Department of Health agreeing
to abide by the Compact. This means that they will give charities three months notice
before they withdraw funding. They have also agreed to release a portion of the 
£17.85m funding. However, charities still face huge uncertainty about the future
of their services, as they have no indication if or when they will get the funding.

 

 

The Department of Health funding, known as Section 64 funding, represents the greatest
single source of financial support that the Department provides to the voluntary
sector.

 

 

The Compact Advocacy Programme has been campaigning for cross-party support in order
to push the Department of Health to implement Section 64.

 

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