2007 Comprehensive Spending Review

Tuesday 9 October 2007

The government today announced its spending plans for the next three years as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).

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The CSR comes at an important juncture as it marks an end to the unprecedented increases in NHS spending since 2002. Over the past five years the NHS has received average annual real terms increases of more than 7 per cent.

This matched the recommendations set out by Sir Derek Wanless in his 2002 review of future NHS funding, commissioned by the then Chancellor, Gordon Brown (Securing our future health: Taking a long-term view).

While Sir Derek recommended that spending on the NHS should be boosted by 4.4 per cent a year over the five years from 2007/08, the NHS will have to plan for a lower rate of growth after the Chancellor delivered a settlement of 4 per cent for the next three years.

Despite the CSR containing a disappointing financial settlement for social care over the next three years, the government has committed to produce a Green Paper on the future of social care funding, signalling a major reform of the current means-tested system (see page 100, box 6.2, chapter 6 of the CSR).

King's Fund responses

Press releases

Media articles

Resources

These resources were collated by the King's Fund Information & Library Service in October 2007. If you would like information on any new resources in this area, please contact the ILS

King's Fund

HM Treasury

House of Commons Treasury Committee

National Library for Health

Institute for Fiscal Studies