Press release on behalf of Keep Our NHS Public – Embargoed until 00:01 on Tuesday 18th June
The Health Foundation’s report just released criticises the government’s NHS long-term plan and maintains it is being put at risk by a lack of funding in light of ever-increasing demand.
Secretary of Keep Our NHS Public and health policy academic Dr John Lister said:
“All the figures show that pressures on emergency services, acute beds and mental health have been rising year on year. The lack of NHS funding has been compounded by further chunks of NHS capital being frittered away propping up revenue budgets.
We have also had the recent revelation by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss that the autumn Spending Review (which the Long-Term Plan admits will be key to how much money the NHS will receive) is likely to be deferred until 2020, leaving many plans in limbo.
We broadly agree with the Health Foundation criticism of the lack of a serious workforce strategy, without which none of NHS England’s ambitious plans can come to fruition. With all these unanswered questions the NHS Long Term Plan is not so much a plan as a list of 50 unfunded aspirations, and an exercise in wishful thinking.”
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