NHS trust defends yacht project
Updated on 14 October 2008
An NHS trust has defended its plans to spend £400,000 on a yacht to help disadvantaged youths improve their lives.
NHS Hull said the yacht, which would cost around £450,000 a year to run, would form part of a 10-week development programme to help local young people into employment, education and training.
The plan has been criticised by local councillors but the Trust said the money used to buy the vessel would not come from its annual healthcare budget and running costs would be paid for by non-NHS funding.
The programme, which will be launched in November subject to funding, is expected to be offered to 17 to 19-year-old Hull residents who are not in employment, education or training.
Selection would involve a rigorous process to ensure those who need help most would benefit and it is anticipated 150 teenagers would take part in the scheme every year.
Participants would be taught yachting, lifestyle, healthy eating, fitness and business skills during a six-week training programme before spending two weeks at sea on board the yacht.
The Trust said the money earmarked for the project had been given to NHS Hull and was additional to the annual budget.
This meant it could only be used for one-off expenditures and not for services, which require ongoing funding.
A spokeswoman for NHS Hull said: "Any NHS monies spent on this project would be non-recurrent monies. This money has to be spent within the 08-09 financial year, which therefore means it would not be possible to spend this money on frontline services."
The Trust said it believed the programme would improve the participants' prospects and health.
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