Warning of '˜managed decline' as UK health spending lags behind EU countries

That is according to healthcare leaders who have made renewed calls for significant Government investment in the health service as the NHS approaches its 70th anniversary.

The NHS Confederation said the UK was spending less on health as a percentage of GDP than Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Austria.

The UK also employed fewer doctors per head of population than all other EU countries, according to research commissioned by the Confederation, which represents healthcare organisations.

Niall Dickson, NHS Confederation Chief Executive, said: “The choice we have to make is what sort of health and care system we are willing to pay for. The reality is that many other European countries, such as Germany and France, are already spending more than us on health.“

A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Health Foundation found that in 2016, the UK spent 9.5 per cent as a share of national income on both public and private health services.

That was substantially below spending in Germany, at 11.3 per cent, and France, at 11 per cent.

If the UK spent the same proportion of national income on health as Germany in the next year, it would add £30bn to the health budget.

The research also found that in 2015, the UK had 2.8 doctors per 1,000 people, compared with 4.1 doctors per 1,000 in Germany and 3.3 doctors per 1,000 in France.

In March this year, Prime Minister Theresa May announced the Government would draw up a “long-term funding plan” for the NHS.

Mr Dickson said: “Increasing funding through taxation in line with this report’s findings would still only take us to the lower-middle ranks of comparable European countries in terms of the amount of tax we pay. Our report has sparked an important debate among politicians and the public about the future of health and social care in this country.

“It is hugely encouraging to see signs that it is now a priority on the Government’s agenda. The evidence shows that we cannot go on running as we are. We face a choice between significant investment or a period of managed decline.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said comparisons in health funding between European countries were difficult because of differences in the way services are provided.

He added: “The Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary have committed to a long term plan with a sustainable multi-year settlement for the NHS to help it manage growing patient demand, which will be agreed with NHS leaders, clinicians, and health experts.”

NHS Trusts in England ended the last financial year with a combined deficit of £960m.