The new Labour government faces stark choices over NHS funding

Labour’s plans for the NHS imply seismic changes in workforce performance and culture. They claim they can do it without major injections of money.The party has set itself the challenge of clearing waiting times for elective treatment of over 18 weeks within five years.1 That means clearing the current backlog of 3.2 million cases and new ones joining the list. Its commitment to additional spending is £1.8 billion, although the baseline is unclear.2 The party is also committed to delivering an extra 40 000 appointments a week across the system.3None of this will be possible until Wes Streeting, incoming Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, resolves the junior doctors’ pay dispute. His comments demonstrate he will not repeat the mistakes of the bungled negotiations over doctors’ pay under Tony Blair’s government, when big rises were delivered without extracting commensurate changes in working practices or performance.4 He has talked…
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