NHS leaders have told governments what UK and Welsh funding priorities should be in future budgets as fears grow some Welsh NHS organisations will not break even this financial year.
According to a new paper by the Welsh NHS Confederation, government needs to review the long-term funding model for health and social care because without further investment, patient experience and quality of care will suffer.
NHS leaders say funding priorities should include the ongoing costs of Covid-19, recovery of care services, the backlog in elective care and the maintenance of NHS estates – including reducing carbon emissions. The rising cost of healthcare was blamed on Covid-19, a growing and ageing population, developments in medical technology, increases in energy prices, pay and price inflation, pharmaceutical developments, and recruitment and retention challenges, while both demand on, and expectations of, the NHS continue to increase.
‘We really need government to be transparent with the public about the services they can expect from the NHS’
Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation Darren Hughes said:
‘If further cuts are on the table, we really need government to be transparent with the public about the services they can expect from the NHS in the months and years ahead.’
The warning is particularly pertinent as financial uncertainty increases across the UK. According to the NHS Confederation, every pound invested in the NHS results in £4 back in wider economic activity.
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