Responding to the HM Treasury announcement that the
Government will invest £5.9 million in the NHS to help
tackle the elective care backlog and transform diagnostic
services, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron
Cordery, said:
“Trust leaders will welcome this capital investment in
the NHS to help tackle waiting
lists and transform how we deliver care.
“This funding is very necessary to deliver on the health and
social care proposals that the government announced in September.
But the devil will be in the detail in terms of the overall
package of capital support for the NHS when the chancellor sets
out his funding plans.
"We have argued for several years that the NHS needs
wide ranging investment across its estates and facilities in
hospitals, mental health, community and ambulance services to
tackle the alarming maintenance backlog – which now stands at
£9.2bn. This is vital to ensure NHS buildings and equipment are
safe, efficient and reliable.
“It is important to remember that the funding the NHS needs is
not only to tackle waiting lists. Mental health, community, and
ambulance services are all under pressure, and as yet it remains
unclear what funding will be available to address those
concerns.
“The full potential of the funding won’t be realised without a
long-term workforce plan. To meet rising demand for services it
is vital that we address staff shortages, which needs a long-term
vision, not ‘quick fixes’. The announcements on Wednesday
must cover this too.
