The Government’s NHS Funding Policy Since 2018: An Analysis of Its Evolution and Reception
Since Theresa May’s speech on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS) in June 2018, the issue of NHS funding has always been at the top of the Conservative government’s policy agenda. Enacted with the NHS Funding Act (2020), the NHS Long Term Plan (NHSLTP) guarantee...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/9550 |
| Summary: | Since Theresa May’s speech on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS) in June 2018, the issue of NHS funding has always been at the top of the Conservative government’s policy agenda. Enacted with the NHS Funding Act (2020), the NHS Long Term Plan (NHSLTP) guaranteed real term increases of over 3 per cent a year for five years to the NHS, which at first sight appeared relatively generous after eight years of austerity policies. The article shows, however, that even before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, this increase was widely criticised as too low to enable the NHS to cope with the hospital waiting lists and estate maintenance backlog that had built up over time. Since 2021, the government has committed new funds to the NHS beyond the NHSLTP which will bring an increase of nearly 4 per cent a year to NHS England’s budget until 2025. Nonetheless, the article argues that the government’s NHS funding policy has lacked clarity and direction since 2019 and that the new funding promises will only be secured at the expense of the social care sector which raises questions about the long-term future of both sectors, such is their interdependence. |
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| ISSN: | 0248-9015 2429-4373 |