RCN welcomes announcements on NHS Funding, but calls for £2.1 billion surplus to be reinvested
Published: 08 December 2008
RCN welcomes announcements on NHS Funding, but calls for £2.1 billion surplus to be reinvested
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today welcomed the announcement by the Secretary of State for Health, Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP, that NHS Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are to receive £164 billion funding for 2009/10, while also gaining control over a greater proportion of their own funding.
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing commented:
“We welcome the increase in funding for NHS services over the next two years, and especially the fact that PCTs will have more control over how their money is spent locally. This should be a step forward in patient care, especially in narrowing the gap of health inequalities between different areas and ensuring that all patients get the highest quality treatment.
“We are also very glad that the NHS is now on a firm financial footing in light of today’s Health Select Committee announcement on the NHS surplus, but a £2.1 billion surplus is £2.1 billion which could have been spent on quality frontline patient care. It is vital that the government swiftly re-invests the surplus in those frontline services.
“However, this should not be the final chapter in NHS spending increases, as the investment must be sustained through the economic downturn, especially where it is already being directed towards reducing healthcare inequalities. We know that healthcare is incredibly important to the public so it is vital that all parties make a commitment to maintain NHS spending through the downturn and beyond.”
Ends
Notes for Editors
For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php
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.