Julian Continues to Push for a Fairer NHS Funding Formula
June 14, 2013
Yesterday Julian questioned the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, over the NHS funding formula and its impact on York and North Yorkshire.
Julian has raised this issue with the Secretary of State before, alongside raising the issue with other senior people within the NHS including Sir David Nicholson.
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday morning, Mr Sturdy said:
“Given that age is the main driver for an individual’s health care needs, why has not age been given more weighting in the funding formula in the past? I urge the Secretary of State to request NHS England to give as much weighting as possible to age in any future funding formula.”
The Secretary of State for Health replied:
“I recognise that my hon. Friend has campaigned on that issue a great deal, and I have great sympathy, because areas with high age profiles do have much greater needs for the NHS. That obviously must be weighted against things like social deprivation, which also have an impact. It is right for these things to be decided independently, which they are. The question is how we get closest to those independent allocations, and I know that that is preoccupying NHS England at the moment.”
Julian has vowed to continue to put pressure on the Government and NHS England to ensure that the anomalies that currently exist within the funding formula are removed to guarantee that funding is fairer for everyone across England, therefore he went on to say:
“York and North Yorkshire have the highest proportion of people aged over 85 in the North, but receive the lowest health funding per head. Given the fact that it costs the NHS – on average 8 times more to care for a patient over 85 than one in their 40’s, I believe it is imperative that age be given more weighting in future health care funding”.
Pictured: Julian in the Commons
