A £29bn investment into the National Health System (NHS) is ‘substantial’, but reform of the system is essential to ‘fix the NHS’, says UK Secretary of Health and Social Care Wes Streeting MP.
Speaking at the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester on 12 June, Streeting emphasised that while the investment is crucial, it is not sufficient on its own.
Streeting said: “[£29bn] is objectively a substantial funding settlement that puts wind in our sails. The investment alone isn't enough. As I've consistently argued, you cannot fix the NHS problems by simply pouring more money into a broken system. It's only through the combination of investment and reform that we will succeed in getting the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future."
As a result, the funding will be used alongside the NHS 10-year plan that will look at improving all areas of the NHS including community care, technology and staffing, adding that it is to prepare the NHS for the future instead of simply dealing with the current challenges.
“That is the job of the 10-year plan. It's not just to get the NHS back on its feet, but to prepare it for the world of genomics, artificial intelligence, predictive and preventative medicine,” Streeting said.
Streeting outlined his hopes that the NHS could become a global leader and attract big pharmaceutical and technological companies to work more with the NHS.
The desire to attract more technology companies is highlighted by the 50% technology spending uplift, equivalent to £10bn of the total funding. Streeting said that this funding is secured due to fiscal rules, meaning it will not be reallocated to other areas, ensuring that the NHS is advancing and able to modernise.
He added that some of this funding will be used to increase the utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS, including investment into software for patient note-taking to allow clinicians more face-to-face time with patients.
Finally, Streeting highlighted the importance of international workers in the NHS, and how without their contributions the NHS would ‘collapse’.
“With the NHS, as with so many other walks of life, our country has been shaped by migration. It has been a positive thing for our country… The NHS will always be an international workforce, and I think it makes us stronger for that global experience, perspective and talent,” Streeting said.
He countered, however, that there has been an ‘over-reliance on overseas recruitment’, stating that some of the staff that are employed in the NHS have been taken from World Health Organization (WHO) red list countries, which he said to be ‘unethical’ and ‘immoral’.
