The Chancellor and Health Secretary visited a hospital ahead of the Budget (Image: Getty)
A major cash boost for the NHS “is unlikely to drastically improve care over the rest of this year, and certainly not overnight”, experts warned last night.
The Chancellor’s promise to “fix the NHS” was a key pillar of her first Budget as she announced a ￡22.6 billion uplift - the largest real-time growth in day-to-day health spending outside of Covid since 2010.
DON'T MISS
Powered by
Patients beg for common sense to return to 'broken' NHS as waiting lists top 7.7m
4 Comments
Autumn Budget 2024: Full list of predictions as Rachel Reeves' announcement edges closer
12 Comments
The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
1 Comments
Fury over 'disastrous' ￡13,000 loss to private pension pots
4 Comments
Six money checks to make before Rachel Reeves' Budget on Wednesday
2 Comments
Experts say Brits are making 3 panic moves ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
I'm a pensions expert - these are the 3 worst things Rachel Reeves could do in the Budget
5 Comments
Wes Streeting's two-word response to fining patients missing NHS appointments
240 Comments
Pension savers over 55 warned against 'big mistake' ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
24-hour ￡20,000 ISA warning as Rachel Reeves prepares 2024 Budget tax raid
Comments
Rachel Reeves is about to shun the elephant in the room - voters shouldn't be fooled
42 Comments
Two things to do before the Budget next week amid Government's ‘￡22 billion black hole'
54 Comments
FTSE slumps ahead of Budget as spooked investors brace for ￡40bn in tax hikes
2 Comments
Tax rises for the wealthy backed by over half of Brits
12 Comments
Labour admits billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter
24 Comments
Billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter, Labour admits
7 Comments
Your local pharmacy could be forced to close thanks to Rachel Reeves
7 Comments
Wes Streeting demands more cash from Chancellor to save NHS in major Budget row
27 Comments
Wednesday's Budget will address NHS funding crisis and public finance challenges
28 Comments
What time is the budget? Exact time Rachel Reeves will announce changes on Wednesday
5 Comments
Patients beg for common sense to return to 'broken' NHS as waiting lists top 7.7m
4 Comments
Autumn Budget 2024: Full list of predictions as Rachel Reeves' announcement edges closer
12 Comments
The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
1 Comments
Fury over 'disastrous' ￡13,000 loss to private pension pots
4 Comments
Six money checks to make before Rachel Reeves' Budget on Wednesday
2 Comments
Experts say Brits are making 3 panic moves ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
I'm a pensions expert - these are the 3 worst things Rachel Reeves could do in the Budget
5 Comments
Wes Streeting's two-word response to fining patients missing NHS appointments
240 Comments
Pension savers over 55 warned against 'big mistake' ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
24-hour ￡20,000 ISA warning as Rachel Reeves prepares 2024 Budget tax raid
Comments
Rachel Reeves is about to shun the elephant in the room - voters shouldn't be fooled
42 Comments
Two things to do before the Budget next week amid Government's ‘￡22 billion black hole'
54 Comments
FTSE slumps ahead of Budget as spooked investors brace for ￡40bn in tax hikes
2 Comments
Tax rises for the wealthy backed by over half of Brits
12 Comments
Labour admits billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter
24 Comments
Billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter, Labour admits
7 Comments
Your local pharmacy could be forced to close thanks to Rachel Reeves
7 Comments
Wes Streeting demands more cash from Chancellor to save NHS in major Budget row
27 Comments
Wednesday's Budget will address NHS funding crisis and public finance challenges
28 Comments
What time is the budget? Exact time Rachel Reeves will announce changes on Wednesday
5 Comments
Patients beg for common sense to return to 'broken' NHS as waiting lists top 7.7m
4 Comments
Autumn Budget 2024: Full list of predictions as Rachel Reeves' announcement edges closer
12 Comments
The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
1 Comments
Fury over 'disastrous' ￡13,000 loss to private pension pots
4 Comments
Six money checks to make before Rachel Reeves' Budget on Wednesday
2 Comments
Experts say Brits are making 3 panic moves ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
I'm a pensions expert - these are the 3 worst things Rachel Reeves could do in the Budget
5 Comments
Rachel Reeves said the investment would help to deliver tens of thousands more appointments and bring down waiting lists, to buy more hospital beds, and to rebuild crumbling hospital buildings.
But within minutes, experts warned that the effects may be too small to be felt by patients. Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: “This Budget has been delivered among a backdrop of dire NHS performance and extremely tight public finances.
“The Chancellor has said that ‘change must be felt’, but the health spending announced today is unlikely to be enough for patients to see a real improvement in the care they receive.
READ MORE: The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
Ms Reeves set out cash for NHS capital in her first budget (Image: Getty)
Don't miss...
Labour cancels State Pension Triple Lock rise for millions of state pensioners [LATEST]
Today Labour showed the nation it has no intention to fulfil its manifesto [LATEST]
Martin Lewis addresses Winter Fuel Payment and WASPI compensation blow in Budget [LATEST]
“The 3.8% real-terms uplift over two years to the Department of Health and Social Care budget will help sustain services but is unlikely to drastically improve care over the rest of this year, and certainly not overnight.
“That’s because the ￡22bn for two years allocated for day-to-day spending will also need to cover existing commitments for new staff pay deals and rising costs of delivering care.”
Mr Anandaciva also noted that just ￡600 million of new grant funding had been allocated to support social care. He added: "Many social care leaders will look on with envy at the funding their health service colleagues have received.
“Care providers will also have to shoulder extra employer costs from national insurance changes and minimum wage increases, exacerbating the difficult financial position they are in.”
Becks Fisher, director of research and policy at the Nuffield Trust, said the cash would “meet the health service’s immediate day-to-day needs, but will not stretch far towards the Government’s ambitions to rebuild an ailing NHS”.
And she warned that the amount allocated to social care would be insufficient for councils to keep pace with demand, at a time when struggling care providers will face higher national insurance rates.
Ms Fisher added: “It is disappointing that today’s budget does little to stabilise the beleaguered social care sector in the immediate term, and that the supporting rhetoric made no mention at all of the future reform it so desperately needs.”
Don't miss...
Wes Streeting demands more cash from Chancellor to save NHS in major Budget r... [LATEST]
GMB's Ed Balls called 'disgraceful' for 'biased' Wes Streeting NHS interview [LATEST]
Labour admits billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter [LATEST]
The investment means NHS England’s budget will see an average annual real terms growth of 4%, rising from ￡171bn in 2023-24 to ￡192bn in 2025-26.
It comes after Ms Reeves and Health Secretary Wes Streeting sought to manage expectations of NHS progress during a visit to St George’s Hospital in London on Monday.
Mr Streeting said he could not promise that Labour’s plans would prevent a winter crisis or hundreds of unnecessary deaths each week caused by long A&E delays.
And he stressed that the cash would only help “arrest the decline and start fixing the foundation” of the health service.
Setting out her plans on Wednesday, Ms Reeves announced a ￡3.1bn increase in the capital budget over this year and the next. The figure includes ￡1.5bn for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to deliver over 30,000 additional procedures.
And ￡1bn will be spent on tackling dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and making inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance, repairs and upgrades across the NHS estate.
However, this is a drop in the ocean against the current maintenance backlog bill of almost ￡14bn. Representing the amount needed to restore deteriorating buildings to a suitable working condition, the total includes ￡2.74bn in “high risk repairs”.
The Chancellor described the cash for the NHS as a “downpayment” on a 10-year plan that Labour will unveil in the spring.
Trending
SUBSCRIBE Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
She said it would enable the NHS to deliver productivity growth of 2% next year and mean that “we can now begin to bring waiting lists down more quickly and move towards our target for waiting times to be no longer than 18 weeks.”
Ms Reeves added: “These reforms are vital but we should be honest. The state of the NHS that we have inherited after, and I quote Lord Darzi, ‘the most austere decade since the NHS was founded’, means that reform must come alongside investment.”
The boost for NHS capital was broadly welcomed but Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive at the Royal College of Nursing, warned that the Budget did not address collapsing staff numbers.
She added: “New scanners, more beds and extra appointments need staff. A depleted, worn-out and undervalued profession can’t bring down waiting lists and transform care.
“Nursing is ready to help deliver the government’s shift from hospital to community, but that will be impossible without investing in the profession, including in social care.”
Paul Rees, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, criticised the lack of support for pharmacists who are “deeply worried by looming increases in National Insurance and the national living wage”.
And Jan Noble, interim chief executive at St Christopher’s Hospice in London, said she was “disappointed that end of life care was ignored”.
She added: “We cannot rely on bake sales, marathons and charity shops to support hospices through the current crisis. Those at the end of life, their families and loved ones will suffer the most.
“Worse still, hospices across the country are now facing a higher tax burden due to the increase in Employers’ National Insurance.”
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “In such a tough financial climate, we welcome the Chancellor’s decision to prioritise the NHS with record levels of capital investment, which will help us repair and modernise hospitals, GP practices and other facilities, as well as continuing to roll out technology and other reforms which will boost productivity for the benefit of patients and the taxpayer in the long term.
“Thanks to the hard work of local teams, the NHS has already made ￡2 billion worth of efficiency savings in the first five months of this financial year with billions more planned.
DON'T MISS
Powered by
Patients beg for common sense to return to 'broken' NHS as waiting lists top 7.7m
4 Comments
Autumn Budget 2024: Full list of predictions as Rachel Reeves' announcement edges closer
12 Comments
The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
1 Comments
Fury over 'disastrous' ￡13,000 loss to private pension pots
4 Comments
Six money checks to make before Rachel Reeves' Budget on Wednesday
2 Comments
Experts say Brits are making 3 panic moves ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
I'm a pensions expert - these are the 3 worst things Rachel Reeves could do in the Budget
5 Comments
Wes Streeting's two-word response to fining patients missing NHS appointments
240 Comments
Pension savers over 55 warned against 'big mistake' ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
24-hour ￡20,000 ISA warning as Rachel Reeves prepares 2024 Budget tax raid
Comments
Rachel Reeves is about to shun the elephant in the room - voters shouldn't be fooled
42 Comments
Two things to do before the Budget next week amid Government's ‘￡22 billion black hole'
54 Comments
FTSE slumps ahead of Budget as spooked investors brace for ￡40bn in tax hikes
2 Comments
Tax rises for the wealthy backed by over half of Brits
12 Comments
Labour admits billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter
24 Comments
Billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter, Labour admits
7 Comments
Your local pharmacy could be forced to close thanks to Rachel Reeves
7 Comments
Wes Streeting demands more cash from Chancellor to save NHS in major Budget row
27 Comments
Wednesday's Budget will address NHS funding crisis and public finance challenges
28 Comments
What time is the budget? Exact time Rachel Reeves will announce changes on Wednesday
5 Comments
Patients beg for common sense to return to 'broken' NHS as waiting lists top 7.7m
4 Comments
Autumn Budget 2024: Full list of predictions as Rachel Reeves' announcement edges closer
12 Comments
The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
1 Comments
Fury over 'disastrous' ￡13,000 loss to private pension pots
4 Comments
Six money checks to make before Rachel Reeves' Budget on Wednesday
2 Comments
Experts say Brits are making 3 panic moves ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
I'm a pensions expert - these are the 3 worst things Rachel Reeves could do in the Budget
5 Comments
Wes Streeting's two-word response to fining patients missing NHS appointments
240 Comments
Pension savers over 55 warned against 'big mistake' ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
24-hour ￡20,000 ISA warning as Rachel Reeves prepares 2024 Budget tax raid
Comments
Rachel Reeves is about to shun the elephant in the room - voters shouldn't be fooled
42 Comments
Two things to do before the Budget next week amid Government's ‘￡22 billion black hole'
54 Comments
FTSE slumps ahead of Budget as spooked investors brace for ￡40bn in tax hikes
2 Comments
Tax rises for the wealthy backed by over half of Brits
12 Comments
Labour admits billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter
24 Comments
Billions in Budget won't fix the NHS this winter, Labour admits
7 Comments
Your local pharmacy could be forced to close thanks to Rachel Reeves
7 Comments
Wes Streeting demands more cash from Chancellor to save NHS in major Budget row
27 Comments
Wednesday's Budget will address NHS funding crisis and public finance challenges
28 Comments
What time is the budget? Exact time Rachel Reeves will announce changes on Wednesday
5 Comments
Patients beg for common sense to return to 'broken' NHS as waiting lists top 7.7m
4 Comments
Autumn Budget 2024: Full list of predictions as Rachel Reeves' announcement edges closer
12 Comments
The NHS is a Budget winner but it will take more to make it fit for the future
1 Comments
Fury over 'disastrous' ￡13,000 loss to private pension pots
4 Comments
Six money checks to make before Rachel Reeves' Budget on Wednesday
2 Comments
Experts say Brits are making 3 panic moves ahead of Rachel Reeves' budget
1 Comments
I'm a pensions expert - these are the 3 worst things Rachel Reeves could do in the Budget
5 Comments
“We are committed to working with Government, taking tough decisions to make sure every penny of taxpayer money is used to deliver the best and safest possible care for patients – at the same time as working on an ambitious and sustainable vision for the future through the 10 Year Health Plan.”
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the Government was right that it would “take more than one budget to build an NHS fit for the future”.
He added: “We hope that the government will use next year’s spending review and 10 year strategy to continue to increase revenue spending and capital investment to give the NHS the long-term financial security it needs going forward.”