NHS Providers, the body which represents hospitals, has written to Jeremy Hunt calling on him to urgently set out plans to increase long-term funding for the health service.

It comes after the Health Secretary admitted the NHS will need significantly more funding in the coming years.

Liberal Democrat former Health Minister Norman Lamb commented:

“The clear message from NHS leaders is that the government must drop its sticking plaster approach to the health service.

“The gap between demand and resources in the NHS is growing each year, with tragic human consequences across the country.

“The stark reality is that current winter crisis is just a taster of what is to come unless ministers get to grips with the long-term funding shortfall facing the health service.

“Everyone now agrees the NHS needs more funding, but we have to be honest about to pay for it.

“That is why Liberal Democrats have set out a clear plan to put a penny on income tax to raise an extra £6bn a year for the NHS and care.

“It’s time for the government to launch a cross-party commission to level with the public and find a new long-term settlement for the NHS and care.”

Notes

See front page of today’s Guardian here