Commenting on the Autumn Budget, Siva Anandaciva, Chief Analyst
at The King's Fund, said:
‘This Budget has been delivered among a backdrop of dire NHS
performance and extremely tight public finances.
‘The Chancellor has said that ‘change must be felt', but the
health spending announced today is unlikely to be enough for
patients to see a real improvement in the care they receive. The
3.8% real-terms uplift over two years to the Department of Health
and Social Care budget will help sustain services but is unlikely
to drastically improve care over the rest of this year, and
certainly not overnight. That's because the £22bn for two years
allocated for day-to-day spending will also need to cover
existing commitments for new staff pay deals and rising costs of
delivering care.
‘The increases to capital investment in NHS buildings and
equipment announced today will go some way towards reducing the
waiting list in coming years, by increasing the number of
hospital beds and surgical hubs in the NHS. However, the existing
backlog of NHS maintenance issues with buildings and equipment is
a staggering £13.8 billion and the extra funding announced today
will only be a modest downpayment on what is needed to tackle
unsafe and outdated NHS facilities.
‘The additional £600m announced for social care will be welcomed
by the sector but is substantially less than what has been
allocated to the NHS – many social care leaders will look on with
envy at the funding their health service colleagues have
received. Care providers will also have to shoulder extra
employer costs from national insurance changes and minimum wage
increases, exacerbating the difficult financial position they are
in.
‘It is positive to see the government using its fiscal and
regulatory tools to help improve the nation's health, including
increases to tobacco duties and the soft drinks levy. But the
government has chosen to provide little clarity on overall
budgets to support public health services.
‘On the whole, this budget has been a starting point for the
investment and reform that is needed to begin to stabilize the
trajectory of NHS performance, but it is not enough for the
system to deliver the wholesale shift needed for a health and
care system fit for the future. To achieve that, more funding
will be needed in next year's comprehensive spending
review.'
