[user104658]

They just throw around the word "billion" because to simple mind it sounds like "lots and lots of money!!!". 3 billion will make no real difference to the NHS. A budget increase of 3 billion per year would make very little perceivable difference.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

They just throw around the word "billion" because to simple mind it sounds like "lots and lots of money!!!". 3 billion will make no real difference to the NHS. A budget increase of 3 billion per year would make very little perceivable difference.

Are you seriously suggesting an extra 3000 million injected per year wouldn't noticeably improve services?

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Are you seriously suggesting an extra 3000 million injected per year wouldn't noticeably improve services?

Given that the NHS running costs are somewhere in the region of 120 billion per year, a 3 billion increase per year would only be a budget increase of 2.5%. So... No... I don't think it would noticeably improve anything at all.

In fact, given the sliding health standards being brought on by austerity measures, within 5 years we'll need a budget increase 5 times that just to be performing at the same level as currently.

A 3 billion one off injection is an absolute joke. Like I said: it's just a stunt to dazzle people with big numbers that aren't actually (in national budgetary terms) very big at all.

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Given that the NHS running costs are somewhere in the region of 120 billion per year, a 3 billion increase per year would only be a budget increase of 2.5%. So... No... I don't think it would noticeably improve anything at all.

In fact, given the sliding health standards being brought on by austerity measures, within 5 years we'll need a budget increase 5 times that just to be performing at the same level as currently.

A 3 billion one off injection is an absolute joke. Like I said: it's just a stunt to dazzle people with big numbers that aren't actually (in national budgetary terms) very big at all.

Good post T.S. - Most of any budget increase will be swallowed up by one devious method or another, and eventually find its way surreptitiously into the pay packets of the NHS top earners anyway -- or what's left of it after the 'increased' admin costs are met from it.

Or am I just a cynical bastard?