• The Public Accounts Committee has published their annual report which sets out chair Meg Hillier’s personal perspective of issues to watch across Whitehall, informed by work of the committee.
• The Department of Health and Social Care has been identified as one of the departments of concern due to finances and workforce issues.
• Recruitment in the NHS is one of the key issues the chair highlights as needing addressing urgently.

Responding to the Public Accounts Committee annual report, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

“The report highlights a number of serious issues that the government and new Prime Minister will need to address. It rightly points out that Brexit has been at the forefront of British politics – but it is time we recognise the other key issues that the country faces.

It rightly points out that Brexit has been at the forefront of British politics – but it is time we recognise the other key issues that the country faces.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“The report singles out the sustainability of finances in the Department of Health and Social Care as an area of concern.

“It rightly highlights that short-term fixes cannot tackle long-term problems. The NHS needs capital investment and we must see further funding for public health and prevention.

The NHS needs capital investment and we must see further funding for public health and prevention.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“Trusts are also facing severe workforce pressures, with over 100,000 vacancies across the sector. Trust leaders tell us that workforce challenges are their number one concern, and greater investment is needed in education and training to help ensure the number and skill mix of staff we need to keep up with demand in the coming years.

“This combination of workforce shortages, financial pressures, and an increase in demand due to an ageing and growing population, means trusts are struggling to meet key performance targets.

This combination of workforce shortages, financial pressures, and an increase in demand due to an ageing and growing population, means trusts are struggling to meet key performance targets.

Miriam Deakin    Co-Director of Development and Engagement

“The report is also right to highlight social care as one of the government’s main challenges in the months and years ahead, with services facing rising costs, squeezed funding and staffing shortages that threaten to push the sector into crisis.

“It is crucial that these pressures are recognised in the forthcoming spending review, otherwise the ambitions for the NHS set out in the long term plan cannot be realised.”