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NHS Confederation responds to Government's NHS funding announcement
Rob Webster, Chief Executive, NHS Confederation, responded to the Government’s announcement today (24th November) on NHS funding.
“The NHS has made a strong and consistent case to the Comprehensive Spending Review, based on sound economic and social policy. This has been hard to ignore and we welcome the early announcement of elements of the settlement. Increasing NHS spending by £3.8bn in 2016/17 appears a positive step. It could give the NHS a fighting chance of transforming care in line with the Five Year Forward View, and longer term would provide the certainty that enables it to invest in new models of care.
“We are clear that significant risks remain. In particular, the NHS will fail to deliver good care without adequate social care provision and improvements in the public’s health. Local government budgets have been cut dramatically over the last five years and there is no doubting the knock-on impact this has on the NHS. If the funding gap in social care is not adequately addressed, costs will be shifted to health and if we don’t use resources to keep people healthier for longer, we store up trouble for the future.
“Delivering additional NHS funding quickly and a transformation fund has been a key condition in our representation to HM Treasury and a consistent part of NHS Confederation lobbying for a number of years. It’s good to see that these calls have been heard and getting the bulk of the additional funding in the next two year means the NHS can invest now to realise benefits in this parliament. This gives us a better chance of delivering the £22bn of efficiencies that remains – the greatest level in the history of the NHS – and of closing the provider funding gap that has opened up this year.
“On Wednesday, we will have a better sense of the full settlement for health and care, which will allow us to consider the settlement as a whole. We’ll also be looking in the coming weeks to bring system leaders together to analyse proposals in full and provide a considered view on what it means for health and care."
