Sajid Javid hails £6billion funding boost for the NHS to clear Covid backlog as a ‘huge amount’ of cash as he insists Rishi Sunak’s Budget spending spree for the health service is ‘new money’
- Rishi Sunak to confirm £6billion funding boost for NHS at Budget on Wednesday
- Sajid Javid said it is ‘huge amount of money’ which will help clear Covid backlog
- Health Secretary insisted it is ‘new money’ and is what the NHS has ‘asked for’
Sajid Javid today hailed Rishi Sunak’s £6billion funding boost for the NHS as he insisted the cash is ‘new money’.
The Health Secretary said the ‘huge amount’ of money being brought forward by the Chancellor at the Budget on Wednesday is what the health service has ‘asked for’.
He insisted it will be enough to clear the coronavirus treatment backlog, with funding due to be spent on providing millions more checks, scans and procedures for non-emergency patients.
Sajid Javid today hailed Rishi Sunak’s £6billion funding boost for the NHS as he insisted the cash is ‘new money’
The Health Secretary said the ‘huge amount’ of money being brought forward by the Chancellor at the Budget on Wednesday is what the health service has ‘asked for’. Royal Free Hospital in north London is pictured
The £6billion package is for capital spending and is separate to the £12billion funding injection being provided through the Government’s new health and social care levy which will pay for day-to-day services.
The capital funding will aim to deliver approximately 30 per cent more elective activity by 2024-25 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In an effort to address the Covid backlog of people waiting for checks, tests and scans, and help get waiting lists down, £2.3billion of the funding package will be used to transform diagnostic services.
The Treasury said there will be at least 100 ‘one-stop-shop’ community diagnostic centres across England, including 44 which have already been announced.
These centres are expected to help clear most existing test backlogs caused by the pandemic, including for CT, MRI and ultrasound scans, by the end of the parliament.
The settlement to tackle backlogs also includes £1.5 billion for increased bed capacity, equipment and new surgical hubs to tackle waiting times for elective surgeries.
Each hub will be equipped with four or five surgical theatres designated for critical elective surgeries.
A total of £2.1 billion of the £5.9 billion total will be invested in technology and data in a bid to improve efficiency and security within the NHS.
It is hoped the new and improved IT will help NHS staff have access to the fastest broadband, and that digital patient records will ensure patients get the best care wherever they are.
Asked if the £6billion will be enough to clear the treatment backlog, Mr Javid told Sky News: ‘It is a huge amount of money. I am full of praise for everyone who works in the NHS.
‘I want to see what we can do to support them in bringing down those waiting lists and getting more patients seen more quickly.
‘This £6billion that we will be committing to in Wednesday’s Budget is huge. It is going to mean more buildings, more equipment, more investment in IT.
‘This is going to mean things like at least 100 more community diagnostic centres, that means millions of more scans and tests and check ups.
‘It is going to mean investment in beds and buildings and equipment and surgical hubs and investment in IT, freeing up the time of our dedicated NHS staff so they can see more patients.’
Asked again if the money will be enough, the Health Secretary said: ‘It is based on, we obviously work very closely with the NHS, it is what they have asked for, it is what we are putting forward.’
Mr Javid stressed the new capital investment is separate to the £12billion increase in day-to-day spending made possible by the Government’s decision to hike National Insurance.
Mr Sunak has said the investment will help the health service get ‘back on track’ and ensure ‘no one is left waiting for vital tests or treatment’
‘(The day-to-day spending increase) is basically what is coming from the NHS and care levy which is the £12billion a year for NHS and care,’ he said.
‘That will cover those day-to-day costs. What today’s announcement is about is the capital equipment, all the capital investment, the things the NHS has to buy that are used again and again.’
Asked if the £6billion is entirely new spending or if some of it has been recycled, Mr Javid said: ‘It is all new money.’
Mr Sunak has said the investment will help the health service get ‘back on track’ and ensure ‘no one is left waiting for vital tests or treatment’.
He added: ‘This is a game-changing investment in the NHS to make sure we have the right buildings, equipment and systems to get patients the help they need and make sure the NHS is fit for the future.’
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