Election watch: NHS funding

Labour and the Conservatives clashed over their NHS funding pledges this week, as the main political parties launched their pre-election manifestos.

The head of NHS England, Simon Stevens, has estimated that the next government—whichever party or parties it comprises—will need to find an additional 1.5% above inflation each year as a bare minimum between now and 2020 to close the projected £30bn (€41.5bn; $44bn) gap in funding. This is projected to amount to an extra £8bn over the next five years, on the basis of NHS achieving £22bn in efficiency savings.1

The current coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats and the Tories, have each committed to this £8bn target,2 but Labour has not, accusing the Tories of making unfunded promises.

Ahead of …