Letter from Sir David Norgrove to Jon Ashworth MP, dated 14 January 2019, on statements made on NHS funding.
Dear Mr Ashworth,
I write regarding statements you made about NHS funding on BBC News on 20 November 2018.
During an interview with Simon McCoy you said in relation to NHS funding levels: “The Government are putting some extra money in, in 2023”.
This misinterprets the Government’s current NHS funding plans by implying that extra money will not be provided until 2023. In June the Prime Minister announced a five-year settlement for the NHS in England, under which the annual NHS England budget would increase by £20.5 billion in real terms by 2023-24[1],[2]. This is expected to result in NHS England receiving an annual average 3.4 per cent real-terms increase in funding over the coming 5 years.
You also said “there isn’t an extra penny piece for the NHS this winter”. This is not correct. In September the Government announced it would be providing £145 million to NHS trusts to prepare for winter demand[3].
You have previously written to the UK Statistics Authority about Government claims in relation to funding of the NHS, so I am sure you appreciate the importance of accuracy.
Yours sincerely,
Sir David Norgrove
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2018-documents/budget-2018
[2]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/726871/PESA_2018_Accessible.pdf
[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hospitals-to-receive-145-million-to-prepare-for-winter-demand
Related Links: