The King's Fund produced this briefing ahead of the second reading of the NHS Funding Bill in the House of Commons.
The briefing examines the measures outlined in the Bill by drawing on recent work by The King’s Fund and making the following key points.
The Bill is symbolic, enshrining in law the government’s commitment to increase NHS spending by at least £34 billion by 2023/24.
The funding increases set out in the Bill are welcome but are not enough to both restore performance against key waiting time standards and transform services for patients.
The Bill focuses only on NHS England’s budget, which leaves other areas of health spending – such as capital investment, public health and staff education and training – unprotected. To improve services and deliver on manifesto commitments, the government will need to ensure these other budgets receive sufficient funding growth.
Instead of the short-term funding approach that has plagued the NHS for decades, there needs to be a more strategic approach to NHS funding decisions, based on an independent assessment of demand for and costs of services.
For further information, or to request an interview, please contact the Press and Public Affairs team at mediaoffice@kingsfund.org.uk or 020 7307 2585.
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