"NHS bosses are seeking an emergency injection of 3bn to cover unexpected costs and have warned ministers that without it patients will wait longer for treatment and hospitals will start rationing care. Their move presents a fresh problem for Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, as she tries to find ways to fill an estimated 30bn hole in the nation's finances in her budget next month."
"The 3bn demand is needed to cover the cost of NHS staff redundancies, strike action by doctors and higher drug prices, and is likely to cause consternation inside a government that is desperately short of cash. The NHS is already due to receive 196bn of the 211bn health budget for England this year. Health service leaders argue that all three cost pressures they want the Treasury to cover were unexpected and have arisen since their funding settlement for 2025/26 was finalised."
NHS leaders are seeking a 3bn emergency cash injection to cover unexpected costs including staff redundancies, strike action by doctors, and higher drug prices. They warn that without the funding patients will face longer waits, hospitals will cancel weekend and evening surgery sessions, and some low-clinical-effectiveness procedures such as bunion removal may be stopped. The request complicates efforts to close an estimated 30bn fiscal gap ahead of the budget. The NHS is due 196bn of the 211bn England health budget this year. Waiting lists remain high at roughly 7.4m–7.6m despite reported extra appointments.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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