News / NHS England refutes funding claim
Over the weekend former minister David Laws – a Liberal Democrat who was part of the 
coalition government – claimed NHS England initially said the service needed an additional £15bn-£16bn above inflation by 2020.
Launching his memoirs, Mr Laws claimed NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens was told to halve the sum. When published in October 2014, the forward view called for funding to rise by £8bn after inflation by 2020. The NHS would make up the balance of the £30bn funding shortfall through efficiencies.
NHS England said that a range of financial projections were discussed, but denied it had been ‘leant on’ to arrive at the £8bn figure. It added that Mr Laws had not been part of the discussions.
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