Commenting on the debate about today’s announcement of £1.8 billion funding for the NHS, Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said:

“Both the government and the health think tanks are correct. As a result of this morning’s announcement, frontline NHS providers will be able to spend £1bn in 2019/20 on backlog maintenance and other capital spending that they weren’t able to spend last week. The department of health and social care’s capital spending limit will be increased accordingly and that will count against overall government capital spending limits. By our definition that is genuine, new, extra, money.

Both the government and the health think tanks are correct. As a result of this morning’s announcement, frontline NHS providers will be able to spend £1bn in 2019/20 on backlog maintenance and other capital spending that they weren’t able to spend last week.

“At the same time, the health think tanks are correct that some of the extra 2019/20 capital expenditure enabled by this announcement will be funded through cash surpluses currently sitting on provider balance sheets. That spending can legitimately be described as money that trusts already had, but were told they couldn’t spend and are now able to spend.”