Delivering high quality public services
The Government is committed to delivering high quality public
services that meet the needs of everyone throughout the UK.
Budget 2002 adds £4 billion to spending on public services
in 2003-04 and announces further sustained increases in investment
in future years.
Modernising the National Health Service
The Government believes in a health service that is free
at the point of need and accessible to all. But the NHS needs
more investment and reform if it is to match the world's best.
Budget 2002 therefore announces the largest ever sustained
increase in NHS resources:
back to top
 7.4
per cent average annual real terms growth in UK NHS spending
for five years, putting the NHS on a sustainable long-term
financial footing; and
a
rise in NHS cash spending per household from £2,370
in 2001-02 to £4,060 in 2007-08 - a 48 per cent real
terms increase; and
resources
will be matched by reform to ensure that the NHS delivers
quality services that match public expectations. In future,
an independent annual report to Parliament will itemise what
money has gone to the NHS, where it has been spent, and what
the result of the spending has been.
back to top
Improving social care
To complement reform of the NHS, the Government is also committed
to improving social care services, particularly care for the
elderly and children, provided by local authorities. The Budget
sets new plans that allow for:
6
per cent a year real terms growth in resources for personal
social services in England over the next three years
well above the historic average.
back to top
|
