Let’s have that Brexit-promised £350m a week now – the NHS can’t afford to wait | Frances O’Grady

As the budget approaches the health service is in desperate need of more funding. It may cost a lot, but the cost of a NHS collapse would be catastrophic

From the get-go, Vote Leave used “£350m extra a week for the NHS” as its trump card in the EU referendum campaign. It knew it resonated with voters. And it exploited it shamelessly.

A sober analysis of whether leaving the EU increases or decreases our national wealth is for another day – and another article. But what is not in doubt is that the promise of more cash for our NHS really cut through. People feel that this is what they were promised – and it is what many voted for. That’s why I think Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, is right to warn of a public backlash if there is no cash boost for the NHS. People won’t just lose faith in democracy; they will be furious. And that cash boost has to start now. It can’t wait until March 2019, when we leave the EU. The NHS needs extra money now.

Related: Thanks but no thanks, CareRooms. In the NHS we need staff, not beds | Rachel Clarke

Brexit risks aggravating this problem. We’ve already seen nursing applications from the EU nationals fall off a cliff

Related: While all eyes look to Brexit, our NHS is about to collapse | Polly Toynbee

Continue reading... November 09, 2017 at 12:30PM