The NHS needs more money and clarity from the government before it’s too late

Outdated equipment, delays, crumbling buildings, not enough hospital beds, pressure on social care, mental health and ambulance services - the list goes on, writes Chris Hopson

Ministers pledged to build 40 new hospitals, and provide 50,000 more nurses, and 6,000 doctors

The Covid-19 pandemic has created a climate of economic uncertainty and upended government finances. It has also brought new pressures to the NHS, which for years had already been running at – and sometimes beyond – full stretch. The effects will be felt in the NHS and wider public services for a long time.

We had hoped this month’s comprehensive spending review would cover the next three or four years, to provide the certainty and the money the NHS needs. But we now know that the spending review will largely only cover 2021/22. Although a comprehensive, multi-year settlement would have been better for the NHS, we understand the unique fiscal circumstances that have led the government to opt for a one-year spending round.

Reviews are about identifying priorities and ensuring adequate resource is allocated to them. For the NHS, there are five issues related to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and promises made in the 2019 Conservative manifesto on which the government will need to make progress.