A pack House of Commons heard from the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt MP, as he unveiled his much-awaited 'Autumn Statement' which included a number of changes and measures across the economy.
Included, were announcements surrounding the NHS and social care making up to £8 billion of funding available for the NHS and adult social care in England in 2024-25. This includes £3.3 billion to respond to the significant pressures facing the NHS, enabling rapid action to improve emergency, elective and primary care performance, and introducing reforms to support the workforce and improve performance across the health system over the longer term.
The NHS’s performance is closely tied to that of the adult social care system, so the government will also make available up to £4.7 billion in 2024-25 to put the adult social care system in England on a stronger financial footing and improve the quality of and access to care for many of the most vulnerable in our society. This includes £1 billion to directly support discharges from hospital into the community, to support the NHS.
The Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, Steve Brine MP, widely welcomed the funding for both the NHS and social care sector as well as the confirmation that independent verified workforce plan would be implemented.
Mr Brine went on to ask "Could I just ask the Chancellor, he knows where I'm going to go with this, to work with us and push his colleagues in the Department and in the NHS itself, to see the long-promised cancer plan, because the sharp rises in cancer waits that we're seeing at the moment of course have a devastating impact on people's lives, but they're also having a domino effect that is understandably impacting on care across the NHS?"
Jeremy Hunt welcomed the Winchester and Chandler's Ford to his new role as Chair and said that "I know he will me and the Health Secretary to account very strongly and tenaciously on everything to do with cancer and everything to do with public health, and I welcome that because these are very, very important areas."
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