Chancellor invests in Britain’s renewal with up to 4 million additional NHS tests and procedures over the next five years

Up to 4 million additional tests, scans and procedures will be delivered across the UK as the Chancellor confirms £6 billion of investment over the next five years in Britain’s health to make working people better off.

It comes after the Chancellor’s Spending Review where she pledged to invest in Britain’s renewal, with the biggest ever investment in the Department of Health and Social Care, where she told the commons “there’s no strong economy without a strong NHS”.

Today (11 June), the Chancellor is confirming this investment in the NHS which will deliver new scanners, more community diagnostic centres – on top of the 170 already delivered across the country – ambulances and Urgent Treatment Centres to support emergency care teams, with increased capacity in community care to reduce pressure on hospitals.

The funding injection will give patients better access to vital diagnostic scans and treatment in more convenient locations, including shopping centres and local high streets, providing faster diagnoses and improved outcomes.

This will help cut hospital waiting lists and deliver the Government’s Plan for Change commitment that 92% of patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral and follows record investment of £232 billion in the NHS announced at the Spending Review.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:

Over a decade of underinvestment from the previous government put the NHS on its knees, with people across the country unable to get the care they need. We are investing in Britain’s renewal, and we will turn that around.

Part of our record investment will deliver 4 million tests, scans and procedures, so hard working people can get the health care they and their families need. There is no strong economy without a strong NHS, and we’ll deliver on our Plan for Change to end the hospital backlog, improve living standards and get more money in people’s pockets.

£30 billion will also be invested over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs, reducing the most serious and critical infrastructure risk in a targeted way. This will begin to address the recommendations of the Darzi review and will turn the tide on the trends of the past 15 years.

Record investment must go hand-in-hand with reform across the health service, to deliver 2% productivity growth each year and unlock £17 billion of savings over the next three years to be reinvested back into the Health Service and support a radical transformation of the Service to be set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:

Since taking office we have been relentless in our drive to cut waiting times for patients, delivering over 3.6 million extra elective care appointments and reducing the overall waiting list by over 200,000.

The £6 billion investment we are announcing today will generate millions more vital diagnostic tests, scans and procedures for patients across the country.

Through our Plan for Change we are delivering the investment and reform needed to put the NHS on the road to recovery.

The government is already putting the latest technology in the hands of patients and staff with a national expansion of the NHS App and a recent £70 million investment in new radiography machines to give cancer patients faster and better treatment.

Reforms to general practice will also slash red tape and bring back the family doctor, allowing GPs to spend more time treating patients.

This settlement also supports the shift from treatment to prevention, improving the health of the nation and reducing demand on the Health Service.

The government will also deliver its manifesto commitment of recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health staff by the end of the Parliament and expanding mental health support teams in schools to 100% of schools in England by 2029-30. An extra £4 billion a year will be made available for adult social care by 2028-29, supporting the sector to improve adult social care and deliver a Fair Pay Agreement.

Today’s announcement is the latest milestone in the governments mission to reform the NHS through the Plan for Change, having already delivered over 3.6 million extra elective care appointments, recruited an additional 1,500 GPs, financed the upgrade of over 1,000 GP surgeries and allocated over £750 million for vital maintenance repairs at hospitals across the country.