Autumn Budget 2021: £5.9bn allocated to clear current NHS backlogs

Around 5.7m waiting for hospital treatment

John Brazier
clock • 2 min read

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed a further £5.9 billion in funding for the NHS to tackle the immediate backlog of those awaiting treatment as part of the Autumn Budget.

Initially announced on Sunday (24 October), the new funding aims to reduce to the current waiting list for NHS treatment, which stands at a record 5.7 million people, with the objective of increasing elective activity by 30% by 2024-25 compared to pre-pandemic levels. Detailed within the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, the funding will be provided to address the backlog waiting for tests and scans, as well as improving and purchasing new equipment and technologies, rather than day-to-day spending. Sunak said the total spending on healthcare was set to increase by £44bn to £177bn by...

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