UK govt to increase taxes to raise £5.9bn to cut waiting lists in NHS

The NHS in England should receive an extra £ 5.9bn in this week’s budget, the government has announced. The money will be used to help clear the record for people waiting for tests and scans that have been aggravated by the pandemic, as well as to buy equipment and improve IT.

More details are a Wednesday, but Chancellor Rishi Sunak called the money “game-changer.”

Health institutions welcome the money but say staffing shortages need to be fixed.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the funding would be “new money” and that Mr Sunak would present exactly where it was coming from on Wednesday. The NHS stands for sustained pressure as it struggles with a one-time decline in procedures due to the pandemic. More than five million people are waiting to get treated at NHS hospitals in England, with hundreds of thousands waiting for more than a year.

The £ 5.9bn that was officially announced in the Wednesday budget and spending review is on top of the £ 12bn a year announced in September.

The money will be raised through tax increases – the increase in National Insurance and from 2022 on health and social benefits – and will be spent on resources such as staff.

The £ 5.9bn will be used to pay for physical infrastructure and equipment – not everyday expenses.

Some of the £ 5.9bn – £ 2.3bn – will be used to fund more diagnostic tests, such as CT, MRI and ultrasound scans, the government said.

This also includes opening more clinics and shopping centres for scans and tests – which the government has already announced – so that people can be seen closer to your home.

These centres will help clear up the backlog of tests at the end of this session, the government said.

As part of the UK funding formula for the NHS, a proportionate amount will also go to health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The chancellor said the money “will ensure we have the right buildings, equipment and systems to help patients get the help they need and ensure the NHS is fit for the future”.

Mr Javid said it would help “deliver millions more checks, scans and procedures to patients”.

Repeated warnings about pressure from the NHS in England highlight chronic staff shortages and record numbers of people awaiting treatment.

Waiting lists have grown as routine surgeries have been cancelled during the pandemic and people who are exposed to seeking help come after.

A report has suggested that the waiting lists of England could climb to 14 million people by next autumn. Staff shortages and infection control measures also mean that hospitals have fewer beds available.