The crisis currently facing the NHS and social care is well known and becoming increasingly severe – the government cannot remain a bystander any longer.
The BMA has consistently highlighted that the NHS is at breaking point
In advance of the Budget, we are calling for an increase in the UK’s health spending as a proportion of GDP in line with that of other leading European economies.
The ten leading economies across Europe spend an average of 10.4% of their GDP on health on the current OECD definition, in comparison with the UK’s 9.8%. We calculate this to be a gap of around £10.3bn.
The BMA has consistently highlighted the shortfall in NHS, social care and public health funding and the direct impact this is having on patient care, which is why in addition we are repeating our call for the £30bn black hole facing the NHS in England to be met. Half of this money could have been used to fund 35,000 hospital beds every day, and a third of it could have paid for 10,000 GPs and their associated costs.
Full story on The BMA 1 March 2017