Chris Ham, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, responded to Theresa May’s intention to give the NHS a new long-term funding settlement, announced at the Liaison Committee hearing
‘The Prime Minister’s announcement is welcome recognition that the NHS can no longer maintain standards of care with the funding it has been given. The service faces a £20 billion funding gap by the end of the parliament, and social care needs at least £2.5 billion more next year to keep up with demand.
‘A new health and social care settlement is required to stabilise both services and enable them to plan with certainty for a growing and ageing population. Some of the new funds should be earmarked to support the widespread adoption of new models of integrated care better suited to changing population needs.
‘The NHS and social care also need a credible workforce plan to ensure that the additional resources the Prime Minister has committed to provide will deliver improved services to patients. This is a big moment, reminiscent of Tony Blair’s promise to increase NHS funding in 2000, and it is an opportunity that should not be lost.’