Ministers promised that the NHS would get everything it needed. They now need to keep their promise to avoid a winter of misery for patients

UK hospitals with a hole in their finances

It is becoming increasingly clear that local health systems and NHS organisations have lacked funding to cover the remainder of this financial year

The NHS received more than £1 billion less than it needs to cope with the second wave of Covid-19, deal with the approaching winter and restart routine operations, discovered the Guardian.

The announcement raises questions about Chancellor Rishi Sunak's promise at the start of the pandemic to give the NHS "all the resources it needs" to deal with the pandemic.

The situation has created tensions between trusted hospitals and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on the one hand, and the NHS England on the other, about the amounts the latter has given them to cover their costs for the rest of the financial year.

The Royal Stoke, one of the largest and busiest hospitals in the NHS, accused NHS England this month of making "a clear and obvious mistake" that left it £20 million out of its pocket.