Up to 4 million additional tests, scans and procedures will be delivered across the UK as the Chancellor has confirmed £6 billion of investment over the next five years in Britain’s health.
It comes after the Chancellor’s Spending Review which pledged to invest in Britain’s renewal. "There’s no strong economy without a strong NHS,” Rachel Reeves commented.
The investment in the NHS will deliver new scanners, more community diagnostic centres – on top of the 170 already delivered across the country - ambulances and Urgent Treatment Centres to support emergency care teams, with increased capacity in community care to reduce pressure on hospitals. The funding injection will give patients better access to vital diagnostic scans and treatment in more convenient locations, including shopping centres and local high streets, providing faster diagnoses and improved outcomes.
This will help cut hospital waiting lists and deliver the Government’s Plan for Change commitment that 92% of patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral and follows record investment of £232 billion in the NHS announced at the Spending Review.
Rachel Reeves said: "Over a decade of underinvestment from the previous government put the NHS on its knees, with people across the country unable to get the care they need. We are investing in Britain’s renewal, and we will turn that around. Part of our record investment will deliver 4 million tests, scans and procedures, so hard working people can get the health care they and their families need. There is no strong economy without a strong NHS, and we’ll deliver on our Plan for Change to end the hospital backlog, improve living standards and get more money in people’s pockets."
£30 billion will also be invested over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs, reducing the most serious and critical infrastructure risk in a targeted way. This will begin to address the recommendations of the Darzi review and will turn the tide on the trends of the past 15 years.
Record investment must go hand-in-hand with reform across the health service, to deliver 2% productivity growth each year and unlock £17 billion of savings over the next three years to be reinvested back into the Health Service and support a radical transformation of the Service to be set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: "Since taking office we have been relentless in our drive to cut waiting times for patients, delivering over 3.6 million extra elective care appointments and reducing the overall waiting list by over 200,000. The £6 billion investment we are announcing will generate millions more vital diagnostic tests, scans and procedures for patients across the country. Through our Plan for Change we are delivering the investment and reform needed to put the NHS on the road to recovery."
The government has already announced a national expansion of the NHS App and a recent £70 million investment in new radiography machines to give cancer patients faster and better treatment. The government will also deliver its manifesto commitment of recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health staff by the end of the Parliament and expanding mental health support teams in schools to 100% of schools in England by 2029-30. An extra £4 billion a year will be made available for adult social care by 2028-29, supporting the sector to improve adult social care and deliver a Fair Pay Agreement.
Commenting on the investment, Dr Katharine Halliday, President of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: “We are pleased to see a significant funding boost for the NHS, including investment in much-needed technology and digital infrastructure to futureproof the health service.
"We hope to see this reduce agonising waiting times for patients and relieve pressure on hardworking staff. The continued investment in scanners and other essential equipment is a positive step towards this goal. Its success depends on recruiting, training and retaining the diagnostic and cancer workforce, which faces severe shortages of doctors. We welcome efforts to cut spending on temporary staffing, but this must be matched by more permanent roles for doctors who spend years training to work in our NHS – and that means scrapping illogical recruitment freezes for radiologists and oncologists.
"The funding boost will go a long way to revitalise the NHS, and now the forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan and NHS Long Term Workforce Plan must also set out robust plans to ensure there are enough staff to provide the care patients deserve.”
