Rachel has welcomed the £20.5billion a year funding boost for the NHS announced by Prime Minister Theresa May.
As the NHS approaches its 70th birthday, the Prime Minister revealed the Conservative Government’s long-term plan for the NHS to ensure it will be there for future generations.
Under the plan, NHS funding will increase on average by 3.4 per cent in real terms each year from 2019-20 to 2023-24 – a much larger increase compared to what Labour have committed to. And by 2023-24, the NHS England budget will increase by £20.5billion in real terms compared with today. That means it will be £394million a week higher in real terms.
The Conservative Government has only been able to make this cash boost available because the public finances have been managed responsibly. The Conservative’s balanced approach to the economy, by reducing debt as a share of GDP and investing in public services, has enabled the Government to ensure debt continues to fall, while prioritising the NHS within public spending.
Some of the extra funding for the NHS will come from using the money we no longer spend on our annual membership subscription to the European Union. But, because the Government’s commitment goes further than the Brexit dividend, taxpayers in Redditch and across the country will have to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way to support the NHS. The Chancellor will set out further detail on this later this year.
In return for this increase in spending on the NHS, the Government will agree with the NHS later this year a ten-year plan for its future. The plan must ensure every penny is well spent, tackling waste, reducing bureaucracy, and eliminating unacceptable variation, with savings invested back into patient care.
The Conservative Government is also putting the social care system on a sustainable footing. The NHS and the social care system are closely linked, and the Government is making sure pressures on the NHS do not rise because of changes to social care services. Last year, the Government provided an extra £2billion for social care and will bring forward further proposals for social care reform later this year.
Rachel said: “The NHS has always been there for me and my family. I’ve given birth to all my children in the NHS, and was in A&E only last month for a foot fracture. It is absolutely right the Government continues to invest in the NHS which we all use.
“I have heard from many constituents who have all told me they don’t mind paying a little bit more in tax in order to give the NHS the extra funding it needs. However, we need to make sure the increase in taxes is done in a fair and balanced way.
“When voting for Brexit, the people of Redditch sent a clear message that they no longer want the UK to be sending billions of pounds each year to the EU. This of course will end once we have left the EU and we will be able to use this money on the NHS.
“The £394million a week means more doctors, more nurses and improved mental health services. It also means improved services for patients and better patient outcomes, which I’m sure everyone in Redditch will welcome.
“This funding boost for the Alex will ensure our town’s hospital becomes a centre of excellence and is there for future generations. I will of course make sure Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust gets its fair share of the £394million a week.”
