NHS Confederation responds to new report into NHS financial sustainability
Responding to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report into NHS financial sustainability, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:
“Many of the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendations will find support among NHS leaders, especially the need to shift more investment into the community, to prioritise prevention, and to provide clarity on budgets and priorities earlier in the year. These are going to be absolutely vital if we are going to put the NHS on a sustainable footing following more than a decade of underinvestment. But much of this requires action from government and is where hold-ups can often occur.
“Any steps we take now when reforming the NHS must work towards achieving the government’s long-term shifts. That’s why we endorse the committee’s recommendation that more funding year-on-year is spent in the community. Investing more of the NHS budget in primary and community care is not just good for patients but is also cheaper than hospital care. The economic case for investing more in primary and community care is clear, with our research showing that for every £1 spent there could be increased economic output (GVA) by £14.
“Where we take some issue with the committee is its assessment of NHS productivity. It’s clear that more needs to be done to improve productivity and NHS leaders and their teams are working incredibly hard on boosting capacity. But we should not underplay the progress that has been made on this front. NHS productivity is now improving at double the level that we were achieving before the pandemic. Introducing virtual wards and other innovations will see further improvements, so we do not entirely recognise the committee’s view that progress has been glacial in this area.
“We should also not underestimate the impact that many years of constrained capital funding, the recent industrial action, and the long-term effects of the pandemic have had on our efforts to improve productivity.
“We also think that some of the criticisms of officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are unfair. We see committed individuals working towards the government’s reform agenda, often in difficult circumstances given the state of the public finances. However, we would like to see the centre spend more time on how it can best support the NHS to deliver rather than on how it instructs the service. It can and should play a more enabling role that sees more power and autonomy delegated to local leaders.”