May to unveil £20bn a year boost to NHS spending

[Northerner]

Taxpayers are to be asked to help fund a £20bn a year injection of extra cash into the National Health Service by 2023-24 that will pay for thousands more doctors and nurses, while cutting cancer deaths and improving mental health services, Theresa May will say today.

The announcement, before the NHS’s 70th birthday next month, will represent the biggest funding boost since Gordon Brown imposed a one percentage point rise in National Insurance to pay for more NHS spending in his 2002 budget, in the face of Tory claims that Labour was slapping a “tax on ordinary families”.

Government sources said the increases, which would be paid for in part by a “Brexit dividend”, would amount to around £600m a week extra for the NHS in cash terms within six years.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jun/16/may-to-unveil-20-billion-pound-a-year-nhs-boost

Jam tomorrow?

 

[grovesy]

I read yesterday before this was announced that Hunt and Hammond have been locked in talks re-funds for Nhs,

 

[Northerner]

I read yesterday before this was announced that Hunt and Hammond have been locked in talks re-funds for Nhs,

What I've noticed about the government over the years is that they will always talk in amounts of money, knowing that e.g. £20bn is a huge amount and with the implication that they are more than covering things. However, this £20bn, whilst welcome, works out at 3.4% increase when it has been calculated that 4% is needed in order just to keep pace with demand. The huge underfunding over the past 8 years is now coming back to bite, but the 'blame' for the current difficulties is being laid at the fact that we have an increasing and ageing population - the government knew about this all along, it's not a surprise as all government policy is decided according to the demographics of the population being serviced, always has been. So the underfunding has been deliberate, whatever they say.

There's no real indication of where this money will come from, as a 'Brexit dividend' is far from guaranteed, and tax-take may even fall after Brexit. Here's an idea - why not use a 'Trident dividend'? We expect North Korea to exist quite happily without their nuclear weapons, yet we can't survive without ours?

Semi-political rant over! 😱 😉

 

[grovesy]

What I've noticed about the government over the years is that they will always talk in amounts of money, knowing that e.g. £20bn is a huge amount and with the implication that they are more than covering things. However, this £20bn, whilst welcome, works out at 3.4% increase when it has been calculated that 4% is needed in order just to keep pace with demand. The huge underfunding over the past 8 years is now coming back to bite, but the 'blame' for the current difficulties is being laid at the fact that we have an increasing and ageing population - the government knew about this all along, it's not a surprise as all government policy is decided according to the demographics of the population being serviced, always has been. So the underfunding has been deliberate, whatever they say.

There's no real indication of where this money will come from, as a 'Brexit dividend' is far from guaranteed, and tax-take may even fall after Brexit. Here's an idea - why not use a 'Trident dividend'? We expect North Korea to exist quite happily without their nuclear weapons, yet we can't survive without ours?

Semi-political rant over! 😱 😉

Yeah.

 

[mikeyB]

It isn’t enough. It’s only what the NHS needs just to keep where it is at the moment. In other words, it covers the shortfall from years of cuts. It won’t improve anything.

This is just kicking the can further down the road until a change of government, then the Tories can get back to their favourite sport of baiting the government on how the NHS runs.

 

[mikeyB]

The selling of this as a Brexit bonus is a flagrant, offensive lie. If we leave the EU the tax take will plummet. If we leave without a deal, which doesn’t bother some of the asses who are in government, I reckon the supply of insulin will dry up in a week. Best of luck with that, Mrs May.