Rachel Reeves announces funding for 2m extra appointments with NHS expected to get big boost in Budget
Rachel Reeves has announced funding for an additional two million NHS appointments, scans and operations across England, ahead of tomorrow’s Budget.
The Chancellor has claimed this will help hit Labour’s manifesto pledge of delivering an extra 40,000 appointments every week, to try and cut waiting lists.
Ms Reeves said the funding would provide surgical hubs, scanners and radiotherapy machines.
“Our NHS is the lifeblood of Britain,” the Leeds West and Pudsey MP said.
“It exemplifies public services at their best, there for us when we need it and free at the point of use, for everyone in this country.
“That’s why I am putting an end to the neglect and underinvestment it has seen for over a decade now.
“We will be known as the government that took the NHS from its worst crisis in its history, got it back on its feet again and made it fit for the bright future ahead of it."
The future of the new children’s hospital and a maternity centre at the Leeds General Infirmary, which was due to open in 2030, could be announced in tomorrow’s Budget.
Ms Reeves previously ordered a review of the Conservatives’ New Hospital Programme, which had pledged to build the new wings, saying there was a £22 billion hole in public finances.
The NHS is expected to get a major boost in funding in the Budget, on top of today’s announcement to cut waiting lists.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Our NHS is broken, but it’s not beaten, and this Budget is the moment we start to fix it.
“The Chancellor is backing the NHS with new investment to cut waiting lists, which stand at an unacceptable 7.6 million today.
“Alongside extra funding, we’re sending crack teams of top surgeons to hospitals across the country, to reform how they run their surgeries, treat more patients, and make the money go further.”
The party’s health spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP, said: “Thousands of people well enough to be discharged are stuck in hospital beds, unable to leave because the social care simply doesn’t exist, meaning others cannot get the care they need.
“Until the government gets a grip of social care, hospitals will remain overwhelmed and patients will pay the price."