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Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, said: ‘We welcome the commitment to extra funding for the NHS and social care, which will go some way to addressing the pressures facing the NHS and reversing the decline in social care services for older people and people with disabilities. But investment needs to go alongside reform to develop new and better ways of delivering care, rather than protecting outdated services.

‘The proposal to halt sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) risks holding back essential changes to services. Labour are right that there has so far not been nearly enough engagement with the public and patients and this needs to happen, but where the case for change has been made politicians should not stand in the way.

‘In the long term, spending on health and social care will need to increase as a share of GDP to meet rising demand for services and bring us into line with spending in other countries such as France and Germany.’

Notes to editors: 

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.

For further information, or to request an interview, please contact the Press and Public Affairs team on 020 7307 2585 (if calling out of hours, please ring 07584 146035).