Falling behind our neighbours

In June 2024, prior to the July 2024 election, The Health Foundation's REAL Centre’s published projections that showed that the funding needed for health services was well in excess of the main political parties’ manifesto pledges. It predicts an extra £38bn a year by the end of the next parliament (2029/30) to enable the NHS in England to meet growing demand and improve standards.

This projected increase is equivalent to a 17.4% rise spend per head compared with this current year (2024/25). The Health Foundation notes that the Netherlands and Germany are wealthier than the UK. In 2022, GDP per head in Germany was 16% higher than the UK, while the Netherlands was 29% higher. As a result they can afford to spend more on health.

The Health Foundation noted that even with a difficult economic position, investing more in health is still possible. For example, France invested 26% more per head than the UK in health, despite their economic performance being similar to the UK’s, with a GDP per capita 1% higher than our own.