Spending Review: Increase in NHS funding vital, but greater collaboration in healthcare needed

Commenting on the Chancellor’s Spending Review, Suneel Gupta, head of private healthcare at RSM UK, said: “The NHS has come out as one of the winners in today’s Spending Review, however, this boost will be consumed by pre-existing pressures faced by the UK’s healthcare system. The Chancellor’s 3% average annual real terms growth in NHS day-to-day spending is crucial to meet their goals of shifting from hospital to community care, sickness to prevention, and analogue to digital. But it’s unclear exactly how and where they will spend this money. The additional funding must be used effectively, including towards greater collaboration between the private sector and NHS, as well as investment in technology to deliver these objectives. It is key progress is monitored closely to ensure they achieve an appropriate return on investment, and relevant parties are held accountable.

“While the Spending Review included an increase of over £4bn for adult social care in 2028-29, this falls short of what is needed in the sector. The Chancellor also mentioned a fundamental reform across social care, but details are lacking on what this will look like in practice. The reform must include breaking down silos in social care, the NHS and wider healthcare industry to allow better connectivity and alignment between social care and the wider health ecosystem. Without this, it’s unlikely we’ll see a notable improvement in end-to-end care for patients.”