Comments on the Budget 2015

The Chancellor George Osborne today presented his Budget to Government. We have collated some key comments regarding the impact on the Health and Care Sector

The Chancellor George Osborne today presented his Budget to Government, we have collated some key comments regarding the impact on the Health and Care Sector

George McNamara, Alzheimer’s Society’s Head of Policy said:

‘Today’s budget was a missed opportunity to recognise the half a million people who are caring day and night for loved ones with dementia. Thousands of people living with the condition rely on their families to support them because they cannot get enough help from health and social care services.

‘The government should recognise the contribution of this army of unpaid carers and ensure they receive a decent Carer’s Allowance and access to vital support.’

Simon Bottery, Director of Policy at Independent Age, the older people’s charity, said:

“The decision on inheritance tax must raise serious questions about whether the government’s flagship social care policy – the £72,000 ‘cap’ on individual’s care costs – will go ahead in April 2016 as planned. This was intended to be paid for in part, by freezing inheritance tax thresholds. The Chancellor needs to clarify urgently whether the measure will proceed since local authorities are already planning for its implementation.”

Rob Webster, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation commented on the confirmation that the NHS will receive an extra £8 billion by 2020/21 : 

“We welcome the formal commitment on increasing NHS funding by £8 billion by 2020/21, on top of the £2 billion delivered in this year’s budget. As highlighted in today’s budget document, the £8 billion needs to come in staged increases and we would emphasise this should reflect the bigger cost pressures expected in the first half of this Parliament. There is an opportunity for a multi-year funding deal to be aligned with planning in the NHS, for example around pricing, contracting and allocations. Through NHS Employers, we will look at the impact of the budget on our workforce.

“The additional funding will also need to account for investment in transformation, to support double-running and other costs that will be needed to move to new models of care. What cannot be forgotten though is the impact that social care cuts are having on the NHS. We need urgent action to look at how we address the gap in social care funding, currently estimated at £4 billion by 2020.

“We also look forward to continuing to work with the Treasury and the Department of Health in addressing these urgent questions as part of the spending review due in autumn. Through this process we hope to secure a sustainable settlement for health and care, which allows our members to get on with the bigger challenge of delivering change in service delivery, to better meet the needs of people in the 21st Century.”