News / Welsh NHS faces further cuts

The Welsh government has insisted it is protecting NHS funding despite proposing reductions in frontline NHS revenue funding for 2013/14.

Under the proposals, the overall health, social services and children allocation will remain relatively steady in cash terms compared with 2012/13, accounting for more than 40% of Welsh government spending. The NHS delivery allocation, from which health board allocations are derived, will fall and just over £5bn will be allocated to the seven health boards in 2013/14 – about £127m less than in the current financial year.

Finance minister Jane Hutt confirmed the funding included the extra £288m a year, which was announced in the 2012/13 Budget. This includes £239m to put the service on a more sustainable financial footing ‘so that it can continue to improve health outcomes and deliver improvements in access to services and patient experience’.

According to the Budget document, the government would ensure financial issues did not affect patient services.

‘We will keep the NHS settlement under review, particularly as services are reconfigured to ensure they remain safe and can sustain the challenges of increasing and changing demand for healthcare,’ it said.

Health minister Lesley Griffiths said the government was protecting the health budget. Despite cuts to the capital allocation, the budget would be £30m more than forecast.

‘Investing in hospitals continues despite these budget reductions,’ she said. ‘The announcement of an extra £30m is good news not only for the health service but also for the wider economy of Wales, creating or supporting jobs in construction.’