Hammond 'ordered NHS chief to back health funding plan'

Chancellor’s £20bn budget boost conditional on support from Simon Stevens – sourcesPhilip Hammond only agreed to the NHS’s £20bn budget boost on condition that the service’s outspoken chief executive backed the deal, sources close to the deal have disclosed.The chancellor made it clear in tense eleventh-hour negotiations that Simon Stevens had to publicly welcome the funding deal or he would not give NHS England as much money as Theresa May announced.Continue