In his spring statement, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has completely ignored calls from NHS organisations for extra funding to tackle backlogs from the pandemic and major issues as a result of long term underfunding.
Responding to the Spring Statement, BMA council chair, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, said: “Given the unprecedented pressure that the NHS is currently under, with patients experiencing life-threatening waits for care and a serious workforce crisis in the NHS, it is disappointing that the Government has failed to listen to our concerns around under-investment in our recent letter to the Chancellor.”
There is still the commitment to increase NHS funding through the Health and Social Care Levy, but the BMA had called for an extra £7 billion to clear the current backlog.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, noted that soaring inflation will push more households into poverty, a key driver of poor health and:
“This will then have a domino effect on pressures facing the NHS as its teams work hard to clear the waiting list and respond to rising demand for healthcare services.”
Full story in The Lowdown, 24 March 2022