Following information obtained by The Observer concerning a dispute between NHS England and the Treasury over the release of funds to cover the additional costs of managing the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said:
“It would be a shame if the funding that seemed to be promised is now being attached to various measures and outcomes that were not in place when the initial announcement was made.
“Of course funding needs to result in appropriate activity, but to tie money up that is really needed to get acute and urgent services through the next few months with elective surgical output in appropriated private hospitals does not feel right.
“I totally agree with recent comments from Chris Hopson of NHS Providers on that the government needs to follow its own advice and ‘protect the NHS’, which is there for everyone whether or not a pandemic is present and relies on the multitude of staff who have put the service ahead of any personal concerns to look after people as always.”
For the full story, which appears in today’s Observer, visit www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/04/nhs-chiefs-in-standoff-with-treasury-over-emergency-10bn