Much of the extra £3.8bn allocated to the NHS in George Osborne’s autumn statement has effectively already been spent, a leading health expert had said.

John Appleby, chief economist at the King’s Fund, backed Labour claims that NHS trust deficits and extra pension costs mean very little of the extra money promised for 2016-17 will be available for better care.

He said the NHS was in a weaker position now than five years ago and faced a real challenge over the rest of this parliament.

Labour released figures that it said showed Osborne’s health spending boost was “more spin than substance” because £2.2bn would be swallowed up covering trust deficits and another £1.1bn would have to fund extra pension costs.

Source: Most of extra £3.8bn NHS funds already spent, says expert | Society | The Guardian

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