Doctors and nurses call for NHS surplus to be reinvested in front line care
Published: 09 December 2008
Joint statement from BMA and RCN – for immediate release, Monday 8 December, 2008
The £2.1 billion surplus generated by the NHS should be reinvested in patient care rather than clawed back by the Treasury, the British Medical Association and Royal College of Nursing say today.
Commenting on figures on NHS public expenditure obtained by the Health Committee, Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:
“We welcome the news that the health service is on a firm financial footing, but a £2.1 billion surplus is £2.1 billion which could have been spent on quality patient care. It is vital that the government swiftly re-invests every penny of the surplus in frontline services”.
Dr Jonathan Fielden, Chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, says:
“NHS staff have worked incredibly hard to drive down waiting times and mortality rates. These figures show that their efforts have also delivered financial success to the NHS.
“This money should not be clawed back by the Treasury, or wasted on poor value contracts with commercial providers. It should be reinvested in NHS facilities to drive up further improvements in the quality of care.”
-ends-
Notes to Editors
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.
For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact either the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php or contact the BMA Press Office:
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