Health budget to increase to £120 billion

In addition the NHS is expected to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings across the service.

Along with abolishing the cap on student nurses where over half of all applicants are turned away leaving hospitals to rely on agencies and overseas staff, nurse training will be funded by loans rather than bursaries.

Osborne claims this action could create up to 10,000 new training places this Parliament.

The NHS will also receive an upfront cash injection of £6bn next year, as part of £10 billion added funding.
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, praised the funding initiative claiming: “The NHS has been heard and actively supported.”

Mental health is set to receive £600m in additional funding, allowing more people to have access therapies, perinatal mental health services, and crisis care.

Furthermore, local authorities who are responsible for social care will have the authority to levy a new social care precept of up to two per cent on council tax.

Osborne added the money raised will be spent on adult social care and aims to bring almost £2 billion more into the care system.

The Better Care Fund will be increased by 1.9 per cent, to support integration, with local authorities enabling them to access an extra £1.5 billion by 2019-20.