According to the Independent, Labour are planning a manifesto pledge of big rises in NHS spending. Dr Clive Peedell, co-leader of the National Health Action Party said if true, it was a welcome move but Labour needed to go much further: The NHS is facing an unprecedented funding gap of at least £30bn by 2020. If the NHS is to remain true to its founding principles, then this gap needs to be filled with a sustained increase in funding. It was actually the Labour Party who started the NHS austerity programme through the “Nicholson Challenge”, so their plans to increase funding are long overdue. There is now good evidence that increases in health spending can help stimulate economic growth, so this is a sensible economic policy too. The NHA party would go much further than Labour and raise billions of pounds for the NHS by announcing an end to wasteful PFI projects, the abolition of the healthcare market, and a crackdown on tax avoidance. We also have concerns about raising NI contributions as this is essentially a flat tax and could cost jobs. General taxation is the fairest way to pay for the NHS.”
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 04:57:00 +0000
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