Government underestimating challenges of NHS plan

The Public Accounts Committee has warned that staff shortages are a major obstacle to NHS financial viability and delivery of its Long Term Plan.

A new report by the committee of MPs has found that while the NHS did balance its overall budget last year, there is a worrying level of disparity in financial health and patient experience at a local level, with warning signs that the NHS’ financial health is getting worse currently being ignored.

The paper stresses that, with approximately 100,000 current vacancies, the NHS will not deliver against the plan unless it addresses staffing shortages, which currently present a 'major obstacle to the NHS’s financial viability'. The committee is concerned about how the NHS can suitably address these workforce shortages, stressing that, should the NHS continue to lose staff at the current rate, or fail to attract enough employees from overseas, then 'the situation will rapidly reach crisis point'.

The report also warns that a lack of clarity on funding for adult social care, capital, public health and education and training also presents significant risk to the NHS’s ability to deliver the long-term plan.

Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, said: “Voices from the frontline came through loud and clear in our latest examination of NHS sustainability. As one hospital trust chief executive put it: ‘Staffing is the biggest challenge we face… it’s one of the biggest threats to financial sustainability in the NHS.’ The Department of Health & Social Care and NHS bodies need to heed these voices and act now.

“Staff shortages are a clear threat to the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan and by July we expect to see evidence that government has a plan to address them. We remain concerned about the absence of new funding for vital areas of work. Investment in capital, adult social care, prevention initiatives and training will be critical. If taxpayers are to be convinced that future Government funding commitments are fit for purpose, then government must explain how those commitments relate to healthcare priorities locally.

“No one should take solace from a top-level financial picture that, as highlighted by our recent reports on DHSC’s accounts and Clinical Commissioning Groups, masks significant local disparities. If the Long Term Plan is to be more than just an aspiration then government must engage fully with the detail and ensure necessary resources are directed to the right places."