- Chancellor stressed that a strong economy depends on getting
inflation under control, investing in infrastructure and strong
public services during a visit to Solihull Hospital
- It follows the Autumn Statement, where NHS and Social Care is
getting access to up to £8 billion in additional funding
-
also visited the site of
HS2’s new Interchange Station in Solihull, following commitment
to deliver HS2 to Manchester.
Tackling inflation, protecting public services and investing in
infrastructure were at the heart of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s
visit to Birmingham today, where he met NHS staff working on the
frontline and reiterated his commitment to a major new rail line.
The Chancellor visited Solihull Hospital, run by University
Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, where he saw the Minor
Injuries Unit which is being remodelled and spoke to patients and
students before leading a roundtable with doctors and nurses.
While in the region he also saw progress on the site of HS2’s new
Interchange Station in Solihull, which will serve Solihull,
Birmingham Airport and the NEC event space once HS2 is
operational in the early 2030s. Hosted by HS2 Ltd’s CEO Mark
Thurston, alongside West Midlands Mayor, , the Chancellor was shown the
site of the new station, the roundabout under construction and
met with apprentices.
His visit follows last week’s Autumn Statement where he vowed to
tackle inflation by prioritising economic stability and bringing
debt down in the medium term, whilst protecting the most
vulnerable and vital public services.
As part of that statement, the Chancellor announced that up
to £8 billion is being made available for the NHS and social care
to improve access to urgent and emergency care and get waiting
times down. The funding boost will also mean about twice as many
people can be released from hospital into care every day from
2024.
The Chancellor also reaffirmed that the government is maintaining
public capital investment at record levels, delivering £600
billion over the next five years. This includes transforming our
railways and committing to deliver HS2 to Manchester.
Following the visit, Chancellor of the Exchequer, , said:
"As a former Health Secretary, I know how hard NHS staff are
working on the frontline and the scale of the challenges they
face after the pandemic – meeting some of them today in Solihull
underlined this for me.
“We know we need to tackle inflation – our number one enemy
that’s making everyone poorer. But we also need to protect our
vital public services which is why I announced further funding
for the NHS and Social Care last week.
“I also want to help the economy grow, which is why we are
investing £600 billion in high quality infrastructure like the
new station I visited today – supporting jobs and spreading
opportunity across the UK."
As part of the health package announced at Autumn Statement, the
NHS has committed to publish full recovery plans for the urgent
and emergency care and primary care systems, including interim
milestones, in the new year.
These plans will set out detailed ambitions for recovery to
deliver faster ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents,
year on year reductions in A&E waiting times over 2023-24 and
2024-25 and improved access to general practice, so that everyone
who needs an appointment with their GP practice can get one
within two weeks and those who need an urgent appointment can get
one on the same day.
