UNIONS have stepped up their opposition to the Government's controversial use of private funds to build hospitals after a report said the scheme was not value for money.
Costs under the so-called private finance initiative (PFI) were almost double those of similar schemes funded by public finance, according to research for the British Medical Journal.
NHS Trusts paid much more than they would if new buildings had been publicly funded, it was found.
Professor Allyson Pollock, head of policy and health services research at University College, London, examined the structure of costs for three PFI schemes in North Durham, Carlisle and Worcester.
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