It's nearly six months since the start of the financial year, a year that many believe financially will make or break the NHS. We don't know how hospital, mental health, ambulance and community services are shaping up. Last year foundation trusts finished the whole year with a £249 million loss. With non-foundation trusts included, this topped £800m. Trusts broke even after receiving a £250m cash injection from funding meant to be spent on buildings. The two economic regulators for the sector have not released the figures for the first quarter of April to June. A survey of a hundred finance directors by the King's Fund thinktank over the summer found that two-thirds were predicting deficits. The outlook was particularly bleak in the hospital sector, where nine in ten thought they would finish the year in the red. The NHS is the fifth largest employer in the world, with 1.7 million employees.