11 March 2017

Spring Budget - social care green paper, A&E capital investment and STPs

Spring Budget, 8 March 2017
  • Amongst the announcements by the Chancellor of the Exchequer  in his Spring budget were an additional £2bn for social care over the next three years; £100m of capital investment for A&E improvements; and £325m over the next three years to implement STPs.
  • Extracts:
    • 5.6 In the longer term, the government is committed to establishing a fair and more sustainable basis for adult social care, in the face of the future demographic challenges set out in the OBR’s Fiscal Sustainability Report. The government will set out proposals in a green paper to put the system on a more secure and sustainable long term footing.
    • 5.7 Accident & Emergency (A&E) capital investment – Recognising the particular pressures in A&E, the government will provide an additional £100 million to the NHS in England in 2017-18 for capital investment in A&E departments. This will enable Trusts to invest in measures to help manage demand on A&E services and ensure that patients are able to access the most appropriate care as quickly as possible. For example, the funding will allow for better assessment of patients when they arrive at A&E and increase the provision of on-site GP facilities.
    • 5.8 Sustainability and Transformation Plans – The government recognises the progress that local NHS leaders have made, working collaboratively with partners, to develop local Sustainability and Transformation Plans. These local plans are an important part of the NHS’s commitment to deliver more effective services to patients. The government will invest £325 million over the next three years to support the local proposals for capital investment where there is the strongest case to deliver real improvements for patients and to ensure a sustainable financial position for the health service. In the autumn, a further round of local proposals will be considered, subject to the same rigorous value for money tests. Investment decisions will also consider whether the local NHS area is playing its part in raising proceeds from unused land, to reinvest in the health service