Investing to save: the capital requirement for a more sustainable NHS in England (NHS Confederation, 28 November 2023)

Summary

This report explores why capital investment is key to boosting productivity and transforming long-term care.

Content

Key points

• It is a worldwide experience that as society ages, becomes wealthier and adopts less healthy lifestyles, healthcare becomes more expensive. The UK is no exception. Providing staff with the right tools and space to perform their jobs through capital investment is how to become more productive and to use the resources available most efficiently.
• However, the UK has invested less in health capital over several decades when compared with comparable nations. The result is a less productive service hampered by, among many other things, Victorian estates, too few diagnostic machines and outdated IT systems that cannot communicate across between hospitals.
• As the examples in this report demonstrate, NHS leaders across the country continue to invest in novel ways to make the service more productive and have more ideas should the government commit funding. Capital is the number one issue NHS leaders tell us is holding back their progress. To better understand this, we have asked ICS leaders how much they need to meet the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan’s ambitious productivity targets.
• NHS leaders are calling on all political parties to commit to a £6.4 billion annual capital funding increase for the NHS at next year’s three-year Spending Review. As we enter a general election year, there has never been a more urgent time to set out an ambitious plan to put the NHS on a path to financial sustainability. NHS leaders are committed to working closely with the new government to ensure this money is used as swiftly and effectively as possible.