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Are Smoke And Mirrors Of The GE 2024 The Last Best Hope To Save The NHS?

Whilst the NHS name remains the cover by which all public healthcare in England is referred to and NHS England remains the government quango with Bankers in charge of healthcare policy and delivery; the NHS no longer exists.

The 42 Integrated Care Systems that constitutes the Health Service in England is now in fact a Local Health Service run by autonomous and unaccountable Integrated Care Boards with aim of ensuring the complete privatisation of healthcare delivery in each of their ICS.

Despite claims by political parties to want to maintain the 'NHS', none of their manifestos deal with the existential threats to the existence and future of a 'national' health service: UK spend on healthcare being amongst the lowest funding on healthcare in Europe, and on the private companies being given contracts with huge profit margins for the private sector.

In short, none of the political parties standing in this year's general election are telling the whole truth about their promises to improve the NHS.

That is the claim being made by The Nuffield Trust, a politically independent healthcare think tank focusing on health policy research and analysis with the aim of improving the quality of health care and influencing policy and practice.

The Nuffield Trust's analysis of the parties manifesto promises, indicates that the NHS spending plans proposed by the Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat parties in their general election manifestos fall short of what is needed to sustain the health service.

The analysis projects real-term annual increases in NHS funding between 2024/25 and 2028/29 as follows:

• Conservative: 0.9%
• Labour: 1.1%
• Liberal Democrat: 1.5%

These increases are notably lower than the historical funding levels, particularly during the austerity period from 2010 to 2015. The proposed funding levels would constitute the tightest period of financial constraints in the NHS's 76-year history, according to the Nuffield Trust.

The Nuffield Trust CEO, Thea Stein, criticized these plans for their lack of detailed, long-term funding commitments. She expressed skepticism about the feasibility of achieving significant NHS improvements with such limited financial growth. The Trust also highlighted that the funding required for the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan by 2028/29 is £198.3 billion. In contrast, the proposed budgets under the party plans would be:

• Liberal Democrats: £178.8 billion
• Labour: £175.6 billion
• Conservative: £174.8 billion

Stein emphasized that without substantial increases in funding, it is unrealistic to expect the promised dramatic recovery in the NHS.

Commenting on the Labour Party’s plan she said:

“This would mark an unprecedented slowdown in NHS finances, and it is inconceivable that it would accompany the dramatic recovery all are promising. There is no detail on a broader funding settlement for an NHS already struggling to make ends meet, and no longer-term funding plans specified.”

None of the manifestos — from Conservative to Labour and Lib Dem — are credible when it comes to NHS spending plans, according to Stein.

The funding required for the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is £198.3bn by 2028/29, says the Nuffield Trust.

Lib Dem plans would see funding grow to £178.8bn; Labour’s would see budgets rise to £175.6b; and the Conservative plan would put the figure at £174.8bn.

Source: Nuffield Trust / Labour Party / unionsafety / National Health Executive

See also: NHS Privatisation News Archive

 

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