§ Mr. CaplinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the change to levels of NHS spending in the South-East as a result of his Budget announcements. [116634]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 6 April 2000]: In his Budget speech, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional £2 billion for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, including the confirmation of moneys from tobacco.
As part of the immediate allocation of £600 million for the NHS England, the South-East Region of the NHS Executive will receive an additional £107 million.
618WThe new resources will put local hospital and general practitioner services on to a sound financial footing. They will help to put in place new high quality intermediate care services to provide a bridge between hospital and home for older people, helping the NHS better prepare for winter. The extra funding will also help to action recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to tackle the postcode lottery of care. The extra resources will help to further reduce waiting times.