Budget merger proposals to compound NHS woes

摘要

The King's Fund has warned a looming financial crisis in the NHS is being exacerbated by plans to merge health and social care budgets. In a report published on 1 May, the health care think-tank warned the £3.8bn Better Care Fund, which is being introduced in 2015 will divert cash away from the NHS at a time when it needs additional funding. The Fund was announced last year by the Government and will support joint working with social care. Instead, the new report calls for the Government to create a dedicated transformation fund, over and above all the existing NHS and social care funding.