Few surprises on health in today’s Conservative manifesto
And here we are again, back to this £8bn extra for the NHS by the end of the decade. Without wanting to sound like a stuck record, this £8bn that the Conservatives have today pledged to meet and that Labour has steadfastly refused to guarantee, is increasingly meaningless.
Firstly, both the Health Foundation and the King’s Fund say it is a bare minimum. It is not where the parties should stop, it is where they should begin.
Secondly, it is predicated on the Five Year Forward View making the savings of £22bn through system changes and better prevention.
Thirdly, it is based on a level of productivity that the NHS has not been able to meet in recent years. According to recent analysis from the Health Foundation, NHS hospitals have only improved their productivity at an average rate of 0.4 per cent over this parliament.
The Five Year Forward View, from Simon Stevens at NHS England, suggests productivity improvements at 2-3 per cent.
As for the rest of today’s health pledges from the Conservatives, there are no surprises. Again, as with Labour, everything has been trailed endlessly.