This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Reducing NHS budget will mean staff cuts, King’s Fund warns
The King’s Fund think tank has said the government will need to cut staffing levels in order to bring NHS finances under control.
The think tank has called on the government to be more honest about its spending plans for the NHS, especially at a time where patient demand is on the increase. The news follows the government’s launch of a major scheme to curb NHS spending.
The Department of Health (DoH) is set to unveil plans to get hospitals and other trusts to stick to agreed spending limits, after the last financial year saw trusts run up a deficit of £2.4 billion.
However, the King’s Fund has cautioned that if the government wants to balance the NHS’ books, staffing level will have to be reduced and waiting time targets relaxed, which could result in patient care being compromised.
Helen McKenna, senior policy adviser at the King's Fund and co-author of the report, said: "Politicians need to be honest with the public about what the NHS can offer with the funding allocated to it.
"It is no longer credible to argue that the NHS can continue to meet increasing demand for services, deliver current standards of care and stay within its budget. This is widely understood within the NHS and now needs to be debated with the public.
"There are no easy choices, but it would be disastrous to adopt a mindset that fails to acknowledge the serious state of the NHS in England today."
Responding to the study, a spokesman for the DoH said: “We know some providers are under financial pressure caused by big rises in demand and our ageing population, but are investing an extra £10bn a year by 2020 to deliver the NHS's own plan for the future."
"High quality care and good financial management go hand in hand and we are determined to make the NHS the safest healthcare system in the world, delivering a 7-day NHS.”
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