Responding to the Spring Forecast, Nuffield Trust Senior
Policy Analyst, Sally Gainsbury said:
“Today, the Chancellor said: ‘growth is for a purpose – to make
working people better off' [1]. But in its recent trade deal with
the US, the government put the uncertain promise of economic
growth above the interests of the NHS and the health of the
population as a whole [2].
“The government has still not published the full details of the
deal, but the implications are clear: the NHS will have to pay
much more for new branded medicines and will only be able to
afford that by reducing spending on other forms of care,
including general practice and the treatment of patients on the
waiting list. Those forms of care bring far greater health
benefits to patients for every £1 spent than new branded drugs,
so the overall impact of the deal will be a reduction in the
health improvements the public is able to get from the NHS.
“The question of how much we should pay for innovative health
treatments, either directly or indirectly through other public
services we sacrifice, is an important one. The US trade deal is
clearly part of wider geopolitics that go beyond the NHS. But
instead of promoting discussion and an exploration of the
evidence, the government is withholding information. We urge the
government to publish both the details of the deal and the impact
assessments it has carried out on the implications for the NHS
and wider economy.
“A clear trade off made by successive previous governments has
been to prioritise expensive but innovative health care above
better social care for older and disabled people. The chancellor
was silent today on the increasingly precarious financial outlook
for local government. If the government is not careful, there may
be little left of a social care system to reform, despite
Baroness Casey's best intentions.”
Ends.
Notes to editors:
- As recorded in the Chancellor's Spring Forecast 2026
speech
- See the government's press release from 1 December 2025:
Landmark UK-US pharmaceuticals
deal to safeguard medicines access and drive vital
investment for UK patients and businesses
