NHS Funding: A Battle Worth Fighting
Last week, Jeremy Hunt’s plans to trim the NHS’s daily budget were slammed by watchdogs. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that, if the cuts go through, the NHS could see its real‑term spending shrink by 1.2 %—a hit that would likely be the biggest since the 1970s.
The Numbers Behind the Trouble
- Potential 1.2 % real‑term cut to everyday spending.
- 2.4 % overall budget cut for 2024/25 unless an extra £2.1 billion is injected.
- The IFS points out that this could be the largest post‑war reduction in NHS funding.
Why It Matters
People are already feeling the pinch: “What the Conservatives are doing to the NHS is nothing short of scandalous,” says Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney. “Patients bear the brunt of an underfunded health system, and nobody’s getting the care they need.”
In Short…
Your health service is a living, breathing entity. Zap its funding, and that’s like cutting the kidneys from a body—everyone feels the pangs. The NHS doesn’t just treat illnesses; it keeps the workforce healthy, and a sick workforce slows the economy. As Olney chimes in:
“The NHS is a driver of economic growth. If we don’t fix it, tomorrow’s workers won’t get the treatment they deserve, and Brussels’ future will look bleaker than a rainy London day.”
The Call to Action
Public‑service funding should outpace tax cuts. The ministers on summer’s budget need to sign off on a rewrite: no cuts, over to a full‑fledge NHS, no more suffering. It’s not just a budget, it’s a promise of better health for all.
