12.05.16
King’s Fund fact check finds inaccuracies in Hunt’s funding statements
Leading health economists have cautioned that several key promises from Jeremy Hunt about NHS funding could be misleading.
In a blog post, John Appleby, chief economist for policy at the King’s Fund, and Adam Roberts, head of education at the Health Foundation, said that this year’s NHS funding increase is the 28th largest in its history, not the sixth as Hunt said.
Hunt made the claim in an article for the Guardian explaining why he believes it is better for the NHS that Britain remains in the European Union.
Appleby and Roberts said that the increase needed to be considered in real terms, with the effects of inflation discounted, and compared to figures as far back as 1975, the earliest date for which accurate data is available.
“Getting public spending figures right is important, otherwise they can mislead and detract from the real issues,” they said. “The fact is that the NHS is halfway through its most austere decade ever, with all NHS services facing huge pressures. Accuracy and transparency about of the scale of the problem are crucial steps toward a solution.”
The economists added that although the government claim they are providing the NHS with £3.8bn extra funding this year, a better measure of total health funding is the Department of Health budget, which has only increased by £1.8bn.
Despite this week marking Hunt’s tenure as Britain’s longest-serving health secretary, it also marks the second time his grasp of NHS spending figures has been called into question.
He admitted in a health select committee appearance on Monday that the government’s promised funding to help deliver the Five Year Forward View was closer to £4.5bn in new money than the £8.4bn originally stated.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an NHE columnist? If so, click here.