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<p>This Government has committed to increase National Health Service spending by a
minimum of £8 billion in real terms over the next five years, and for the first time
to deliver an increase in real funding per head of the population for every year of
the Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>As with all public services, local NHS areas need to
live within the budget agreed – otherwise they effectively take up resources that
could be spent on general practitioners, mental health care, and cancer treatment.
As part of their financial planning, NHS England and NHS Improvement have been running
a process to look at how a small number of areas could do more to balance their financial
plans, as many already have.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that these plans are consistent
with constitutional standards on waiting times and patient choice. But it is right
that the NHS should consider efficiency savings such as reducing delayed transfers
of care, or reducing running costs – because this improves patient care overall.</p>
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