Financial squeeze will persist for many years

摘要

The NHS will enjoy just two more years of real monetary growth at around 5 per cent a year before if faces the biggest financial squeeze in its history, David Nicholson, chief executive of the NHS, signalled at the 12th NHS Alliance annual conference in Manchester this week.Comparing today's challenge with the cuts forced upon the NHS in the 1990s, he warned that, this time, the challenge would be 10 times bigger and sustained over many years. Primary care trusts and service providers need to prepare now for the lean times ahead, he said. Quality, encompassing safety, clinical effectiveness and patient experience, would be the sole focus, he added, saying that improving quality, but spending less was a must do. Mr Nicholson argued that the NHS can make massive productivity gains and improve quality by better managing transfer of care at the interface.