Reaction to the UK Budget

The College has reacted to today's budget statement by the UK Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP. The budget can be read in full, here.

Commenting, Professor Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said:

We note the Chancellor’s announcement of £300 million for new technology and the creation of 250 local patient health centres in England. Investment in these areas is important to help modernise care, reduce pressures on existing services, and bring support closer to the communities that need it most. We expect that investment in these areas will continue as such services expand, as indeed it must.

Technology and new facilities can only deliver their full value when we invest equally in the people who make the NHS work. Ensuring that we have enough qualified medical, nursing, and allied health professionals to staff these centres is essential if patients are to see the meaningful improvements this funding aims to achieve.

We look forward to engaging with government to ensure that workforce investment goes hand-in-hand with innovation, so that every patient can benefit from safe, timely and high-quality care.