BMA urges chancellor to step up NHS spending in Budget

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has been urged to commit to greater investment in the NHS in this week's Budget.

Speaking ahead of Mr Hammond's keynote speech on Wednesday (March 8th), the British Medical Association (BMA) warned that many services are "truly at breaking point", the Guardian reports.

Dr Mark Porter, council chair of the BMA, said this is because of "unprecedented rising patient demand", as well as pressure on the NHS to make "huge, unachievable savings through sustainability and transformation plans across England".

The BMA has therefore called for health spending to be increased to a proportion of GDP that matches the average spending in other leading European economies.

"Based on our analysis of the figures available, this would, in 2015, have equated to an increase of £10.3 billion for NHS funding – an increase which is desperately needed," Dr Porter said.

The Department of Health has responded by insisting it is committed to the NHS. A spokeswoman said this is why total health spending is above the OECD average as a percentage of GDP.

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