This briefing has been prepared by the Royal College of Physicians for Chuka Umunna MP ahead of the adjournment debate on ‘funding for the NHS after the UK leaves the EU’, on 15 November 2016.
Summary
- NHS finances are under unprecedented pressure and this is having a real impact on the delivery of patient care.
- 85% of physicians believe that current health funding is insufficient to meet rising demand for services.
- Funding for the NHS has not kept up with demand: demand for healthcare increases by 4% every year but, in real terms, NHS funding will increase by only 0.2% per year to 2020.
- There is a real possibility that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will exacerbate the financial challenge facing the NHS.
- The government must do all it can to safeguard the NHS from any adverse impact that Brexit could have on the national economy.
- The impact on social care and public health must also be considered.
- The RCP has repeatedly called for both social care and the NHS to receive sufficient funding to ensure that care is focused around the needs of patients.
Contact
For more information please contact Methela Haque, public affairs adviser, on methela.haque@rcplondon.ac.uk