NHS funding: record-breaking cuts?

The Tories have repeatedly claimed that the Welsh Labour Government has made record-breaking cuts to the health budget since 2011.  But what’s the truth?

Health spending in Wales:

The Welsh Labour Government has invested an extra £1.1bn in the Welsh NHS over the last two years alone in additional cash support. In recurrent funding terms, this equates to an extra 9.1% or an extra £178 on health for every person in Wales.

This includes recurrent revenue funding to meet the £200m funding gap identified by the Nuffield Trust report A Decade of Austerity in Wales?

This is despite record-breaking cuts to the Welsh Government’s overall budget by successive Conservative UK governments.

Health and social care spending in Wales:

Wales spends £120 more per person on health and social care than England does, according to the latest available Treasury figures (2013-14).

Wales has not cut social care funding – the Welsh Government has continued to invest in social care funding because health and social care services are dependent on each other.

This is in stark contrast to England, where social care has borne the brunt of Tory cuts, having been slashed, in real terms, by 9% between 2009-10 and 2013-14ⁱ.

What about the Tory claim the Welsh Government cut the health budget by 8%?

This claim is based wrong and out-of-date data, which predicted the Welsh health spend and not actual spending. It does not reflect current health funding or investment.

In 2010-11, the total health and social care budget in Wales equated to 41.3% (£6.4bn) of the overall Welsh Government budget. In 2015-16, it accounts for 46.2% (£6.7bn) – the highest it’s ever been.

Recording-breaking cuts by the UK Government

In real terms, Welsh Government funding has decreased by £1.4bn over the course of this Assembly and its capital funding has been cut by 30% by the UK Government.

Despite this, the Welsh Government has continued to invest in the Welsh NHS.