Budget will be welcomed by trust chief executives

11 March 2020

 

The chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson said:

"Today's Budget will be welcomed by trust chief executives as a sign that the government is willing to listen to their concerns and invest in the service.

"We are continuing to campaign for more investment in NHS infrastructure, across all sectors, and aligning the NHS' capital budget with comparable economies. Today's announcement is an important step towards ensuring that trusts can repair and replace outdated facilities and begin to put in place the infrastructure needed to support the delivery of the long term plan. Although the government is moving in the right direction, we will still need more funding, a multi-year capital settlement and an effective mechanism for prioritising, accessing and spending NHS capital based on need.

 

Today's announcement is an important step towards ensuring that trusts can repair and replace outdated facilities and begin to put in place the infrastructure needed to support the delivery of the long term plan.

 
"Raising the pensions taper threshold also shows that the government has listened to concerns, but it will be important to listen to feedback from trust leaders on the likely impact of this policy.

"It is also welcome that the government has announced new funding to tackle a range of issues including workforce. But the health service has 100,000 vacancies and we need to see the detail of how this will be addressed in the upcoming People Plan.

"The government is right to take the threat posed by coronavirus extremely seriously. The package of measures announced today and the commitment to give the NHS what it needs financially is important recognition of the scale of the challenge. However, there will still be concerns around ensuring that this funding translates into supplies that can make a difference quickly.

 

The government is right to take the threat posed by coronavirus extremely seriously. The package of measures announced today and the commitment to give the NHS what it needs financially is important recognition of the scale of the challenge. However, there will still be concerns around ensuring that this funding translates into supplies that can make a difference quickly.

 

"Additionally, the lack of focus on social care is disappointing. The health and care systems work closely together, and now more than ever, it is vital that the challenges faced by the social care sector are addressed to reduce pressure on the NHS."