‘NHS will crash in 2yrs without extra funding,’ former health minister warns

Former Health Minister Norman Lamb has warned the National Health Service (NHS) will crash within two years unless the government injects billions of pounds in funding.

The Liberal Democrat MP said the NHS faces a “make or break” crisis that can only be averted if money is invested early in this parliament.

He said the government’s election promise to put in an extra £8 billion by 2020 is not enough to keep the service running.

Lamb painted a dire picture of how the collapse of the NHS would impact the country, with elderly people and mental health patients being unable to get the care they need.

If the investment is not made upfront and in the early period of this parliament, you could see serious failures in the system,” he told the Observer.

The system will crash. Elderly people won’t get the care they need, and it will be people with mental ill health who suffer most, because that is where the squeeze always comes,” he added.

Lamb will address the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth on Tuesday, where he is expected to announce new ideas for funding including an NHS tax or a rise in national insurance contributions.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “We are investing the additional £8 billion that the NHS itself has said it needs to implement its own plan for the future.

The NHS must deliver its side of the plan by implementing cost-control initiatives the government has brought forward, like clamping down on staffing agencies and expensive management consultants.

We’re already bringing the NHS and councils together, which is helping people to live independently at home and saving money in the long term.

This piece was reprinted by RINF Alternative News with permission or license.

Via RT.