Royal College of Emergency Medicine welcomes extra cash for NHS

Responding to the budget statement, Dr Taj Hassan, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine welcomes extra funding for the NHS but says the service needs much more.

‘The Chancellor’s announcement of £2.8bn extra funding over the next two years for the NHS in England is very welcome indeed, but still a long way short of what is needed.

We agree with the assessment of Simon Stevens and Jim Mackey that at least £4bn extra a year is required to ensure a viable NHS. This injection may keep the wolf from the door for another couple of years, but our health service needs much more.

While all in the NHS will undoubtedly be grateful for this announcement, we should not have to get to the brink of major crisis, as has been well described by independent observers, for problems to be recognised. The NHS’s financial settlement must be restored to traditional levels of funding growth.

The £350m being made immediately available is a clear recognition of the pressures the NHS is facing this winter.
“We must bear in mind that any short-term solutions will only go so far in addressing flow in our systems and will be limited in their efficacy due to the continued lack of funding for social care. Without this investment, emergency care systems will continue to struggle – as we have over the past few years – which has led to significant delays in treating our patients and overcrowding in our Emergency Departments.

Staff in our emergency departments will continue to try and maintain safety this winter but if we want to return to delivering a quality service, much more will be needed both in short and medium term for both the NHS and social care.’