As part of the package, £1bn will be spent on addressing
backlogs in the health service – paying for up to one million
extra checks, scans and additional operations for those who
have had their treatment delayed since the start of the
pandemic.
Evidence shows that the longer a patient waits for treatment,
the more likely they are to require admission to hospital, and
the number of people waiting a year for treatment has risen
from around 1,500 in February to 140,000 in September.
Chancellor of the Exchequer said:
“Our world-class NHS has played a critical role in the
response to coronavirus, but we know how desperately difficult
and distressing it has been for patients that are waiting to
have operations and medical treatment during the pandemic.
“This substantial package of extra funding will help people
receive the medical care they need as soon as possible.”
The funding package will also include hundreds of millions for
mental health in 2021/22. This will be used to tackle the
backlog of adult mental health referrals and funding for new
specialist services for children and young people – as well as
extra support for people with severe mental illness and faster
access to psychological support for conditions such as
depression and anxiety.
Around £1.5bn will be used to support existing pressures in the
NHS, with the government remaining committed to ensuring the
NHS has the certainty it needs to plan and improve patient
outcomes.
And around £325m will be invested in NHS diagnostics next year,
which could replace more than two-thirds of older screening
equipment – helping diagnose patients with cancer and other
serious illnesses.
