Budget was good for NHS

LAST week the chancellor delivered his budget against a backdrop of strong economic growth across the north west.

Since 2010, there are more than 85,000 new businesses and 257,000 more people in work and our region’s employment rate has grown faster than any other over the past year.

This is very welcome news indeed, but what I was most interested in from the budget was the announcement of new investment in the NHS.

Despite tight public finances, investment in the NHS has risen every year since 2010.

The government is pledging a range of new initiatives to increase funding throughout the health, social care and mental health services and address the long-term challenges of an ageing and growing population.

The budget announced a £6.3bn of additional funding to NHS England – £2.8bn in resource funding and £3.5bn in capital investment.

It is essential for the NHS to remain financially sustainable in the face of an ageing population and increasing demands for care. It has only been possible to increase NHS funding by promoting a strong economy with healthy public finances and prudent government spending.

These extra resources include £2.6bn for local NHS groups to deliver sustainability and transformation plans to improve local services, deliver more integrated care, more care out of hospitals and reduce waiting times – and an extra £335m this year to deal with winter capacity.

People regularly talk down the NHS. However, it is something we can be proud of and that I am proud to support.

The number of patients treated is at a record level; cancer survival rates are at record levels and 17m people now have access to GP appointments at evenings and weekends.

Leadership is just as important as investment and this money needs to be directed wisely to make sure the system gains the maximum value from the investment.