The NHS. Why £4bn a year isn't enough.

Headlines are telling us that the Prime Minister is considering a 70th anniversary 'present' of £4bn to the National Health Service - and some commentators are suggesting that this figure is excessive. It's certainly ridiculous. Ridiculously inadequate. As long ago as 2012 a House of Commons Select Committee revealed that the annual NHS budget for one long-term condition alone - diabetes - costs Britain £11bn a year. In other words, £4bn represents around a third of today's NHS costs on just one disease. Simon Stevens, the Head of NHS England, is right to suggest that an injection of £20-£30bn a year is closer. If we seriously want to transform the NHS into a fit-for-purpose, world-class health system in the 21st century, as a nation we have to change our thinking. It starts with accepting reality and understanding the actual sums involved. And leads to an acceptance that all of us may have to pay far more to get the service we demand.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/08/nhs-chief-warns-waiting-lists-could-hit-5m-without-extra-cash