Thinking the unthinkable about the NHS

Some may use the NHS funding crisis to bring in policies previously off limits, says Nigel Edwards in his column for the BMJ.

Journal article

Published: 27/10/2015

Journal article information

Abstract

The chancellor of the exchequer’s spending review on 25 November will have huge consequences for all public services. The fact that the government has ringfenced funding for the NHS and promised it an additional £8bn (€11bn; $12.3bn) might suggest that the health service has less to worry about than other departments, which are facing cuts of between 25% and 40%. But there are worrying signs ahead for the NHS.