Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced a long term plan for the NHS. The plan is being agreed with NHS leading clinicians and health experts and will secure the future of the NHS by bringing forward a long-term plan for the NHS and a five-year funding settlement.
Under the Government’s plan, NHS funding will grow year on year and by 2023-24 the NHS England budget will increase by £20.5 billion in real terms compared with today. That means there will be £394 million a week additional resource in real terms supporting the NHS.
Last week the Government also announced that a further £2.4 billion of taxpayers’ money will be saved and reinvested into NHS frontline services over the next five years, as costly and outdated models for purchasing goods and services is to be replaced.
Plans are also underway preparing for winter this year. I am pleased that Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has identified a scheme that can help with its patient flow and bed capacity, and has been allocated an additional £350,000 by the Government. This further investment in the NHS will help those staff to deliver the best possible care for patients this winter.