Responding to analysis by the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre on
the value of government health spending following the
Chancellor’s spring Budget, the deputy chief executive of NHS
Providers, Saffron Cordery said:
“Trust leaders are committed to providing high-quality care but
the huge financial challenges they’re facing are making a tough
job even tougher.
“The Budget provided welcome extra funding to help offset the
recurrent cost of previous pay deals and more money for NHS
technology, but inflationary pressures and rising demand for care
mean NHS finances face another year of being relentlessly
squeezed.
“Trust leaders are feeling the pinch over cuts to both staff
education and training and public health budgets, while also
facing major repair bills across the healthcare estate. There’s a
very real risk too that unless the Treasury fully funds upcoming
staff pay awards for 2024/25, NHS England and trusts will once
again have to scrabble around to find additional money to meet
wage bills.
“We can’t go on like this. Trust leaders want to see a shift
towards a long-term, multi-year investment across the health
service which allows them to plan for the future rather than a
stop-start approach to NHS funding which leaves them constantly
worrying about budget cuts followed by quick-fix, short-term
funding announcements.”
