Revealed: The wild variation in how NHS trusts spend money on treating the same conditions

The NHS spends three times more in some areas on treating the same conditions, it has emerged. A report highlighted huge variations in amounts spent locally, even after the needs of different communities were accounted for. Spending varies by up to 3.4 times for mental health, 2.5 times for cancer and 2.2 times for heart and circulatory diseases.

The study by health charity the King's Fund analysed primary care trust spending from 2004 to 2007. Islington, North London, spent 332 pounds per head of population on mental health, while in West Kent it was just 98 - a 3.4-fold gap.

The proportion devoted to mental health ranged from 7.6 to 25 per cent of trusts' budgets. Knowsley, Merseyside, paid 118 a head on cancer, while Ealing, West London, allocated 47.

Middlesbrough spent 167 on circulatory diseases compared with 76 in Southwark, South-East London.

Professor John Appleby, of the King's Fund, said: 'It does raise questions about the consistency of the decisions PCTs make.' Chief executive Niall Dickson said: 'There are unexplained spending variations - some are almost certainly not justified.' David Stout, of the PCT Network, representing trusts, said: 'Many of these variations are expected. 'However, some are not explained. It may reveal unacceptable variation in clinical practice.'

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