With this autumn’s Spending Review set to be one of the most important moments
in the life of the coalition government, Coffee House has linked up with the think-tank Reform to investigate what could – and should – be in the final document. This first post, by
Reform’s director Andrew Haldenby, is the first in a series of “What you need to know” summaries, looking at each of the main policy areas – in this case, health. Other
posts will cover specific policies, examples from abroad and Reform events. We’re delighted to get the ball rolling…
What is the budget?
The NHS is the biggest public service budget in England by far. In 2010-11 it will spend £105 billion, or about one pound in six of everything that government spends.
The NHS saw the biggest budget increase of any area of Government in the big spending years. Its budget increased by 106 per cent in real terms between 1999-00 and 2010-11.
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