Yet another NHS Budget boost – but where’s the reform?

We won’t have to speculate about the details of the Labour’s first Budget much longer. But one tradition as old as time has been confirmed by the Treasury: the National Health Service is getting more cash.

‘Our NHS is the lifeblood of Britain,’ the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said ahead of unveiling her full Budget tomorrow. ‘That’s why I am putting an end to the neglect and underinvestment it has seen for over a decade now.’ This is set to include £1.57 billion of capital spending to expand surgical hubs and provide more equipment. An additional £1.8 billion worth of funding will also be announced to help Labour make good on its promise to expand appointment access by 40,000 per week – and to get the 7.6 million-long NHS England waiting list on a downward trajectory.