The Institute for Fiscal Studies and Health Foundation said the NHS would need an extra 4% a year – or £2,000 per UK household – for the next 15 years.
The report said the NHS has been struggling to cope after the toughest financial constraints in its 70-year history had been imposed on the service.
Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which commissioned the report and represents 85% of NHS bodies, said: “This report is a wake-up call. And its message is simple – if we want good, effective and safe services, we will have to find the resources to pay for them.”
Kevin Brandstatter, GMB National Officer, said:“This report confirms what we have been saying for years – NHS funding hasn’t kept pace with inflation and the health service has been chronically short changed by the Conservatives.
“This shortage of cash, alongside the Health and Social Care Act 2012, has created a toxic mess.
“While people are desperately waiting to be treated, the Government is having a little chat about whether they have a funding plan for the NHS.
“There’s no doubt some of the funding will have to come from tax rises, but plenty of savings could be made by ending privatisation and all the subsequent transactional costs.”
