Commenting on today’s Budget announcement by the Chancellor, Professor Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

“While we welcome the additional funding for the NHS announced in today’s Budget, we recognise that is insufficient to meet the increasing demands being placed upon our already-stretched NHS. Although additional resources have been announced for this winter, it takes time for the benefits to be realised and may not bring about the improvements that we need to tackle the difficulties that winter brings.

“We call on the Government to take a more whole-system view - including social care - that can address the current challenges the NHS faces while enabling it to become more sustainable for the future. We must also ensure that the workforce feels valued so we are able to recruit and retain the workforce for the future.

“The rise in duty on tobacco is welcome, but the freeze on alcohol duty will do nothing to help tackle the problems that we see in relation to alcohol misuse. We urge the UK Government to pursue Minimum Unit Pricing for alcohol as we will see introduced in Scotland later this year.”

Notes: 
  1. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh aims to improve the quality of patient care. It represents over 12,000 Fellows and Members across the UK and worldwide, setting standards and influencing health policy. The College helps physicians and related specialties pursue their careers  through a world-renowned education and training programme.

Lisa Rooke

Contact: Lisa Rooke l.rooke@rcpe.ac.uk 0131 247 3688