NHS Spending Hot Topic Of General Election

Caught up in the general election campaign is a row over spending on national health, but the fight is not over how to cut spending in order to save us from the massive national deficit but in fact how to safeguard spending and preserve the health budget.

There are a variety of suggestions of how to make the service more efficient and cost effective but the decision to protect spending is unanimous amongst all parties. The Liberal Democrats have taken a more prudent tone, claiming that the NHS must shrink its costly and unnecessary managerial ranks.

However, many economic experts argue that in order to deal with the deficit, the government cannot simply bypass the liberally funded NHS. Spending has increased in real terms by over 7 percent each year over the lengthy 13 year labour rule. This is equivalent to going from 3% of national spending to almost 10%.

In the popular television debates, conservative leader David Cameron pledged to protect funding for the NHS stating he would "cut the deficit, not the NHS". Although there is conflict between different politicians and economists over the means of dealing with the spending, they all agree that in order to battle the budget deficit which is likely to reach 11.8% this year, steep cuts are required.

Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader, claimed "We have to find savings in the NHS," proposing huge reorganisations in the managerial departments freeing up funds for "frontline services." But in a recent interview, Mr. Clegg admitted that he doesn't have plans for "net cuts in the NHS."

Without a cut in funding, an aging population and rising obesity rates mean the NHS will need to be more efficient with their spending. Last year NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson forced health-service managers to find 15 billion to 20 of "efficiency savings" by 2014, money he said would be reallocated toward necessary services.

The proposal to make spending more efficient is approved by the British Medical Association, the main professional body for doctors, but they warn against any cuts to frontline services. Instead, the NHS should cut its use of management consultants. The Royal College of Nursing agrees, estimating that the NHS in England spent 350 million on management consultants in the latest fiscal year.

Major cutbacks in NHS spending could result an a lack of nursing jobs and experts suggest it will be difficult for graduates to find nursing jobs Exeter

categories: General election,NHS,healthcare,nursing,jobs,nurse,careers,healthcare,hospitals, nursing, nurses, closure, cutbacks, private healthcare

View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/nhs-spending-hot-topic-of-general-election