£150billion-a-year NHS will get even MORE money

The NHS will get more cash in the budget set to be announced tomorrow, the Health Secretary has confirmed.

Steve Barclay today told NHS leaders at a conference in Liverpool that the health service ‘absolutely’ needs financial support to meet inflationary pressures.

He hit back at reports he told Treasury officials the NHS didn’t need more cash — saying it would become clear tomorrow, when Autumn Statement is unveiled, that the claim was ‘incorrect’.

NHS leaders have warned the service face a £7billion shortfall next year, which has been fuelled by soaring inflation. Without this cash, key cancer, GP and mental health care face cutbacks, health bosses say.

This is despite the NHS budget soaring to £152billion this year, £30billion more than pre-pandemic levels.

It comes as the NHS faces a ‘tripledemic’ of Covid, flu and the A&E crisis this winter, on top of strikes by hundreds of thousands of members of its workforce, who are seeking better pay and working conditions.

HM Treasury data shows the NHS received £100.4billion in 2010/11 and its core budget has grown steadily until 2019. In 2020, the NHS was given £129.7billion of core funding for its usual services, which was topped up with an extra £18billion to help with the pressures from the pandemic. For 2021/22 the Treasury said the health service received £136.1billion pounds of core funding, as well as £3billion to help with the Covid recovery. The health service has been allocated £151.8billion for 2022/23

At the annual conference of NHS Providers, which represents NHS emergency, community and mental health services, Mr Barclay was asked about reports he had told the Treasury the NHS could cope without extra cash. 

The claim was reported in The Times on Saturday, with Treasury officials said to be ‘pleasantly amazed’ by Mr Barclay’s willingness for the NHS to operate with its current budget.

But he told NHS leaders that the claim was nonsense.

He said: ‘Firstly, that is completely incorrect and we told the journalists that it was incorrect but the story was run, nonetheless. 

‘The great thing about this, is colleagues in the room will be able to see tomorrow. 

‘I can assure you the Treasury would not allocate any money to the department if the department said that it didn’t need it, given the fiscal situation we face. 

‘So in short, of course we face significant financial pressures and inflation is there.’

Mr Barclay said his previous experience working in the Treasury and Cabinet Office means he has ‘a very good understanding of how best to make the case for the Department of Health’. 

He said: ‘Firstly, I can absolutely confirm that we do need support to meet those inflationary pressures. 

‘And secondly, coming back to, I said in the speech “show not tell” and I think it’s probably just useful for local leaders because sometimes I’m sure in my tenure as Secretary of State, things will be written which won’t reflect my view. 

‘That kind of goes with the train in politics. 

‘And perhaps it is useful when you see tomorrow whether it is true that we don’t get a penny and have not asked for a penny, when you see tomorrow whether that is true or not, I hope you bare that in mind when in the future you also see stories which may not completely align with what we’re doing in the department.’