NHSE warns service will have to cut activity unless it gets more funding

NHS England has told the government that the service will have to “slow down” efforts to cut waiting lists without a fresh funding injection, HSJ has learned.

The warning comes with health service officials locked in discussions with ministers about their budget settlement, amid a deteriorating financial picture at local NHS bodies.

One source close to the negotiations said the NHS was overspending significantly and could not afford to keep on doing the same levels of elective activity. They said if the government could not find more money, “the reality is we will have to slow down”.

On top of this, NHSE and the government are currently determining how to deliver Labour’s manifesto commitment to deliver 40,000 extra appointments and procedures a week.

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 23 August 2024