The NHS is to get a funding boost of over £2.5 billion to provide services to patients in 2012-13, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has announced.
£91.6 billion will go direct to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), representing a 2.8% increase in total allocations and which breaks down as:
- £87.5 billion for PCTs to provide care for local patients, including £300 million for re-ablement services to help give people the community care they need to become more independent after being in hospital. This is double the £150 million invested in 2011-12; and
- £4.1 billion to be invested in dental and eye care, pharmaceutical services and support for joint working between health and social care.
"We are continuing to meet our commitment to increase the NHS budget in real terms. This will mean a £2.5 billion increase next year," said Mr Lansley. However, he added that while the extra investment will give PCTs a strong platform to sustain and improve services for patients, "the NHS must still strive to get the best value out of every penny it spends to meet rising demand and continue to improve results for patients.”
"In the future, we want those closest to patients - doctors, nurses and other clinicians - to be in charge of the NHS budget to deliver care for patients. Next year, the NHS will be bringing clinical leadership to the forefront in planning services for patients," he said.
Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, this will be the last round of allocations made to PCTs, as from 2013-14 the NHS Commissioning Board would be responsible for the allocation of resources and pace of change policy to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
- Meantime, new research has shown that patient satisfaction with primary care medical services remains high across the country, with 88% of patients rating their overall experience with their GP practice as "good."
93% of patients say they have confidence and trust in the last GP they saw, and 81% are satisfied with their surgery opening hours, according to the first wave of results for the GP Patient Survey, covering July-September 2011, which has been carried out by Ipsos-MORI on behalf of the Department of Health.
The survey also found that 64% of people who have a long-term condition say they feel supported to manage their care, and 93% feel that they care confident to manage their health.
