Ministers have little choice but to keep boosting spending on NHS

The government will have little choice but to keep increasing spending on the NHS if it wants to maintain services and improve the nation’s healthcare, experts have told peers.

Witnesses from various expert health think tanks all delivered the same blunt message that, if the NHS is to survive in the long term, spending must rise rather than rely on its being funded by long term efficiency saving measures. The witnesses were speaking during an evidence session of the House of Lords committee on the long term sustainability of the NHS. During the session, held on 19 July, peers asked what needed to happen to make the health service sustainable in the long term.

Richard Murray, director of policy …