Jeremy Hunt has fired a warning shot at the NHS, saying that the time for excuses over cost savings is over. In an op-ed for the Telegraph, the Health Secretary has helpfully reminded the NHS that £22 billion in efficiency savings are expected, in return for an extra £8 billion a year from the government:
‘Eight billion was what the NHS asked for. But with that commitment from taxpayers, the time for debating whether or not it is enough is over: the NHS now needs to deliver its side of the bargain, which is to make substantial and significant efficiency savings.’
In particular, Hunt has singled out the £3.3 billion spent on agency doctors on nurses. On the Today programme this morning, Hunt said it is ‘totally unacceptable’ that the unit cost of nursing has increased by as much as 42 per cent since the Francis Report into Mid Staffs was released in 2013 — which resulted in increased staffing levels.
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