£20.5bn NHS funding boost not enough to improve care – study

NHS England is expected to publish its long-term plan early next week.Almost all the £20.5bn extra a year for the NHS risks being swallowed up by the ageing population, pay rises, the rising cost of drugs and hospitals’ deficits, a report has concluded.As little as £1.3bn of the increase could be left to fund improvements in treatment unless the service dramatically overhauls how and where it cares for patients, the report by the IPPR thinktank and former senior NHS staff says.