Healthcare leaders have now responded to the Government’s Autumn Budget 2024 and while many have welcomed the additional investment promised for the NHS, others have argued that the level of investment doesn’t go far enough.
Dame Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, said: "The additional investment in the NHS announced will help to stabilise services. The 3.8% average annual increase is similar to the historic average and should enable the government to make some progress on its ambitions for the NHS, though this will be limited by the costs of meeting next year’s pay settlements and other cost pressures such as the increase in employers’ National Insurance.
"All eyes will now turn to next year’s Spending Review and the NHS 10-year plan to move beyond stabilising services by putting the investment, reform and, crucially, the technology in place to transform the NHS.
"The increase in capital investment is particularly welcome, with the UK having become an international outlier in its relatively low levels of capital spending, resulting in a spiralling backlog of maintenance and repairs. If the government is serious about its commitment to prevention, it should follow the changes to its fiscal rules by strengthening the fiscal framework to boost and protect prevention spending.”
Nuffield Trust's Director of Research and Policy Becks Fisher said: “After over a decade of constrained funding, NHS finances prior to this Budget were perilous. The funding promised will meet the health service’s immediate day-to-day needs, but will not stretch far towards the government’s ambitions to re-build an ailing NHS.
“The increase in the overall Department of Health and Social Care budget is sufficient to meet the urgent £4.8bn funding gap facing the NHS in England. However, it is less clear how non-NHS health spending, such as for public health, will fare once those unavoidable immediate pressures in the NHS have been addressed. The Secretary of State has been correct to caution ahead of time that patients are unlikely to notice rapid improvements in their care.
“Government is right to want to shift care from hospital to community, but with most funding released seemingly targeted towards hospitals, eyes will turn to the Spending Review to secure money needed for transformation.
“Increases in local authority budgets are welcome, but they face hugely difficult decisions on where to spend to meet myriad local needs. The £600m social care grant announced for next year will be insufficient to enable councils to keep pace with demand… It is disappointing that the Budget does little to stabilise the beleaguered social care sector in the immediate term, and that the supporting rhetoric made no mention at all of the future reform it so desperately needs.”
Siva Anandaciva, Chief Analyst at The King’s Fund, said: “The Chancellor has said that ‘change must be felt’, but the health spending announced is unlikely to be enough for patients to see a real improvement in the care they receive. The 3.8% real-terms uplift over two years to the Department of Health and Social Care budget will help sustain services but is unlikely to drastically improve care over the rest of this year, and certainly not overnight. That’s because the £22bn for two years allocated for day-to-day spending will also need to cover existing commitments for new staff pay deals and rising costs of delivering care.
“The increases to capital investment in NHS buildings and equipment announced will go some way towards reducing the waiting list in coming years, by increasing the number of hospital beds and surgical hubs in the NHS. However, the existing backlog of NHS maintenance issues with buildings and equipment is a staggering £13.8 billion and the extra funding announced will only be a modest downpayment on what is needed to tackle unsafe and outdated NHS facilities.
“The additional £600m announced for social care will be welcomed by the sector but is substantially less than what has been allocated to the NHS – many social care leaders will look on with envy at the funding their health service colleagues have received. Care providers will also have to shoulder extra employer costs from national insurance changes and minimum wage increases, exacerbating the difficult financial position they are in. It is positive to see the government using its fiscal and regulatory tools to help improve the nation’s health, including increases to tobacco duties and the soft drinks levy. But the government has chosen to provide little clarity on overall budgets to support public health services.
“On the whole, this budget has been a starting point for the investment and reform that is needed to begin to stabilise the trajectory of NHS performance, but it is not enough for the system to deliver the wholesale shift needed for a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve that, more funding will be needed in next year’s comprehensive spending review.”
Mark Hitchman, Managing Director at Canon Medical Systems UK said: “Confirmation in the Budget that £1.5bn will be invested in new beds across our country, along with more capacity for over a million additional diagnostic tests, surgical hubs and diagnostic centres, as part of the Government’s 10-year plan to rebuild the NHS, is very welcome news indeed. However, to achieve an increased scanning capacity, this investment must address the replacement of outdated equipment. And without sufficient staff and space, even doubling the number of scanners will be ineffective.
“The increased funding for Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) is fundamental. These centres provide accessible, local care, easing the load on hospitals by offering tests and diagnostics closer to patients. With over 165 CDCs operating in places like shopping centres and sports venues, they have already delivered more than nine million tests - demonstrating their value in reducing hospital pressures and providing timely care.
“The workforce shortage, however, remains a pressing issue and bolstering this must be addressed. Radiography and other diagnostics face limited training opportunities, making roles highly competitive. Investing in advanced, AI-assisted technology can help improve efficiency, but the full benefits will only be realised with a strong, trained workforce.
“This Budget represents a valuable step, but for the NHS to thrive, we need sustained investment in modern equipment, community-based care, and training expansions to meet healthcare demands and deliver better patient outcomes.”
