Your article on LIFT (3 February) tries to damn what is generally accepted as a successful programme using a single case where things haven't worked out.

The rest of the evidence was cobbled together from carefully edited information.

The LIFT initiative has been a success. Nationally, almost 拢1bn has been invested in new primary care infrastructure. Of this, nearly 拢200m has come from the Department of Health. More than 50 large primary care facilities are open and will continue to be opened at a rate of one a week for the rest of this year. In Wigan and Leigh, four one-stop shops are open and two are in planning. Total investment through LIFT exceeds 拢30m.

The article inaccurately cuts together evidence from two separate public accounts committee hearings. In my evidence on the LIFT hearings on 17 October, I did say it wasn't possible yet to demonstrate absolutely that it was delivering value for money as it was still early days, but I went on to say that all the indicators were that it was fully delivering against our objectives, which includes value for money. The reference to 60% returns came from my evidence to the committee's hearings on the Norfolk & Norwich PFI hospital scheme on 16 November. There is no evidence that LIFT shareholders are making returns of anywhere near that level.

Peter Coates, deputy director of finance - investment, the Department of Health

Topics