Responding to reports that the Defence Investment Plan
will draw from NHS capital budgets, Siva Anandaciva, Director of
Policy, Events and Partnerships at The King's Fund,
said:
While many people understand the need to increase defence
spending, cutting the NHS capital budget, which helps maintain
NHS buildings and equipment, including MRI and CT scanners, will
have a knock-on effect on patient care.
There are already serious doubts about whether the New Hospital
Programme can be delivered, after it was paused, reviewed and
republished with a revised timetable. The Department of Health
and Social Care has said RAAC-affected hospitals and wave one
projects will not be affected, but if later waves of the hospital
building programme were delayed it would leave more taxpayer
funding tied up in maintaining substandard hospital buildings for
longer. It's a false economy.
This could be a serious level of disinvestment and is
particularly worrying when more NHS buildings are falling into a
state of disrepair, equipment that is already passed its sell-by
date will have to be stretched further, the repairs bill is
soaring, and more patients and staff are experiencing safety
incidents in aging NHS buildings.
There are also serious questions about where the remaining £4.7
billion needed to reach the planned £15 billion will come from
and whether this signals less investment in health and care in
years ahead.'
ENDS
Notes to editors:
This announcement was reported here and here.
