The Conservative Government has come under fire for its repeated promise of a £10bn increase in funding for the struggling National Health Service.
The UK Statistics Authority are questioning the veracity of the claims, as the National Audit Office has described the NHS problems as “endemic” and “unsustainable.” It appears that the ten billion claim, if real, would help solve some of the NHS funding issues, but this doesn’t appear to be the case.
The UK Statistics Authority, an independent governmental body with responsibility for safeguarding the production and quality of government statistics, has now intervened.
The UKSA has told the Tories to be much clearer in its NHS funding claims in future, after its investigations to PM May’s claims she was handing the NHS the £10bn boost.
Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, accused the Theresa May of exaggerating the true sum and using “spin” to try to present the government in a better light over the NHS. The Tories have been accused of cooking the books to appear to be helping the health service more than is actually happening.
As well as that the £350m extra a week claim for the NHS used on the side of Leave buses, during the referendum campaign, have been accepted as false.
Ed Humpherson, director general for regulation at the UK Statistics Authority, said: “An issue that appears to have caused confusion is that while NHS England spending is rising, some other elements of the Department of Health budget are decreasing.”
There are concerns that the NHS is being pushed towards privatisation as, in the past couple of weeks, Sir Richard Branson’s health firm, Virgin Care, has won a £700m contract to deliver 200 types of NHS and social care services to more than 200,000 people in Bath and north-east Somerset.
Alongside the rapid privatisation of the health service, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has also been embroiled with a long-term battle with junior doctors over their contracts, which led to strike action.