Health spending warning by auditor general

Health will swallow up an ever-increasing share of the public purse in Wales unless there is a rethink, the head of a spending watchdog has warned.

Auditor General Huw Vaughan Thomas has called for an urgent and far-reaching debate on how much the Welsh government could afford to spend on the NHS.

The Wales Audit Office said ministers gave the NHS an extra £200m in 2013/14.

Mr Vaughan Thomas warned that diverting funds from other services could make it harder to prevent ill-health.

He said health treatment should be modern, safe and affordable.