Nuffield Trust responds to David Cameron’s announcement on NHS budget protection

Nuffield Trust responds to David Cameron's announcement that the Government will protect the NHS budget in the next parliament.

Press release

Published: 01/10/2014

Responding to David Cameron’s announcement that the Government will protect the NHS budget in the next parliament, Nuffield Trust Chief Executive Nigel Edwards said:

“At a time of continuing austerity across the public sector, the Prime Minister’s pledge to protect NHS spending in the next parliament is of course welcome.

“But we should be under no illusions: a flat spending settlement for health looks and feels very similar to a spending cut. Up until 2010 health spending grew above inflation every year, due in large part to the ageing population, technological change and staffing costs. So the spending settlement over the past five years has subjected the NHS to a historically unprecedented squeeze.

These pressures aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, with efficiency savings harder and harder to realise, more and more hospital trusts going into the red, and hospital admissions still on the rise, the next few years look set to be some of the toughest the NHS has ever faced. Nigel Edwards, Chief Executive, Nuffield Trust

"These pressures aren’t going away any time soon. In fact, with efficiency savings harder and harder to realise, more and more hospital trusts going into the red, and hospital admissions still on the rise, the next few years look set to be some of the toughest the NHS has ever faced.

“What’s more, as austerity across the wider public sector bites, already very deep cuts to social care will put many frail elderly people and their carers under even greater strain. This will inevitably impact upon their health and wellbeing as well as on the wider system. This is despite the fact that around £1bn is being transferred from health budgets to social care.

“Protecting the NHS budget is important and necessary. But the bigger question facing the next government concerns how they will fund health and social care over the long-term.” 

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