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03 November 1998

DH 1 £250 million extra for NHS this year

Patients across the UK will benefit from the extra #250 million which the Chancellor Gordon Brown announced for the NHS in the Pre-Budget Report today.

The extra resources are available thanks to the Government's firm control of public spending, and will roll forward many of the innovative projects put in place last year and build on the preparations already in place for the coming winter.

Welcoming the extra money, Health Secretary Frank Dobson said:

"These new resources, some #209 million for England, will enable us to build on the preparations already in place for the winter. The NHS will work together with social services to ensure that everything possible is done to look after people in their own homes, and to get them back there, with proper home care, as soon as possible after a spell in hospital. There are of course pressures if the weather is especially harsh and there is a flu epidemic, but the #209 million means that precious beds are available for those who need them most. "We have now invested #2,250 million in the NHS across the UK since we came to office 18 months ago:

Last year, to cope with winter pressures, we provided an extra #300 million. Together with a lot of effort by staff, including closer working with social services, this meant that the NHS was better prepared than ever before for a winter, and it coped well. For this year, we added #1.2 billion in the Chancellor's first budget, so that the NHS could plan ahead. This led to improvements in a number of services. We then added #500 million to tackle the waiting lists we had inherited. Thanks to this money and a lot of hard work by NHS staff, waiting lists have turned round - the total number waiting in England has fallen by 55,000 between March and August 1998 and is continuing to come down. And all this comes before the #21 billion for the next three years, from the Comprehensive Spending Review, to deliver modernisation and reform.

"The Government has again demonstrated its commitment to the NHS. I look forward to continuing to work with everybody in the NHS to deliver what really matters: prompt and effective treatment and care for patients."

Notes for editors

1. The #250 million package for the UK breaks down as follows, according to the Barnett formula:

   England #209 million Scotland #22 million Wales #12.5 million Northern Ireland #6.5 million

2. The Comprehensive Spending Review provided an extra #21 billion for health in the UK. The funding is part of the Government's policy of money for modernisation accompanied by policy reforms, to improve the quality of public services and ensure the public gets the best value from Britain's public services.

Press enquiries to Department of Health
Press Office: 0207 210 5225/0207 270 5229

HM Treasury press contacts
Press enquiries: 0207 270 5238
Non-media enquiries: 0207 270 4558

# = pounds sterling

Pre Budget 1998 Press Notices index page

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