Election 2015: Tories would give NHS 'whatever' it needs

A five-year plan for the NHS in England predicts an £8bn shortfall

A future Conservative government would give the NHS in England "whatever" it needs to fill a predicted funding gap, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.

He told the BBC this could be "more or less" than £8bn - which is the amount health chiefs believe might be needed.

Meanwhile, Labour claim almost 600 fewer GP surgeries in England open at evenings and weekends than before 2010.

Health spokesman Andy Burnham said the coalition had created queues outside practices and diverted people to A&E.

But Mr Hunt said Labour's numbers were wrong and that out-of-hours cover was being extended.

The Lib Dems also said Labour's figures - obtained through a parliamentary question - were out of date.

'We have a plan'

A five-year plan for the NHS in England predicts a £30bn shortfall in funding, of which about £22bn can be covered by efficiency savings.

Asked to commit to funding the remaining £8bn, Mr Hunt told BBC' Radio 4's World at One: "We will give whatever they need - it might be more than £8bn, it might be less.

"We will back the NHS's own plan in full.

"We agree with the £30bn gap and we agree with the NHS when they say that if they can make £22bn of efficiency savings, the NHS would need £8bn.

"But they also said in that plan very clearly that they might need less than £8bn if they can make more efficiency savings or they might need more than £8bn if they can't make those efficiency savings."

Mr Hunt said he thought it was "inappropriate" to politicise debates about the NHS, but he said an ageing population was putting increasing pressure on accident and emergency departments in England.

He told the BBC: "Much older people with much more complex needs are coming into hospital.

"And we have a plan to deal with that.

"And basically, if I'm secretary on 8 May, over the next five years I would like to see a transformation in the services we offer outside hospitals, particularly through GPs' surgeries, more GPs, easier appointments, more proactive care of people with the most complex needs."

But shadow health secretary Mr Burnham said GP services had "gone backwards" during this Parliament.

Labour unveiled a new poster, which reworks the Conservatives' "Labour isn't working" image of 1979 by depicting a huge queue outside a waiting room with the title: "The doctor can't see you now."

Policy guide: Where the parties stand

Labour has pledged £2.5bn to pay for 8,000 more GPs, guaranteeing appointments within 48 hours.

Mr Burnham said the last Labour government had introduced an extended-hours scheme which, in 2009, funded 77% of surgeries to open on evenings and weekends.

The Commons answer suggested the coalition had reduced extended access funding in England from £3.01 per patient to £1.90 per patient, meaning that - by 2013/14 - 72% of surgeries offered extended hours under the scheme, a reduction of 590, according to Labour's interpretation.

Mr Burnham told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that many people were not able to book appointments for days and, as a result, ended up at A&E.

"If you are going to have a truly preventative NHS, you have to make sure people can get the right care at the right hours."

He said he did not blame GPs, who he suggested had been "demoralised" by budget cuts - adding that Labour would also seek to reverse closures of walk-in centres and ensure the non-emergency 111 helpline had more experienced medical staff.

'Disastrous' contract

But Mr Hunt said Labour's figures were wrong, because they did not take into account the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund, which covers 1,100 practices and helps 7.5 million patients see a GP in the evenings and at weekends.

"We are extending this scheme to cover over 1,400 additional practices, helping 10 million extra people by this time next year," he said, adding that a Conservative government would deliver "a truly seven-day NHS".

Pilot schemes paid for by this fund include those testing approaches such as the use of technology, health apps, and allowing access to services by video call, email or telephone.

Mr Burnham told Sky News most patients were not seeing any benefit from the Challenge Fund, suggesting it was only dealing with "a minority" of practices and patients.

Mr Hunt blamed Labour's "disastrous" renegotiation of the NHS contract for GPs in 2004 for creating the problem, which Conservatives say "meant 90% of GPs stopped giving out-of-hours care".

The Labour poster reworks a famous Conservative advertisement from the 1979 election campaign

The Conservatives say that a strong economy is needed to ensure there is enough funding for the NHS

The Lib Dems also pointed to a £50m GP Access Fund, which they say helped 1,147 practices to extend their hours last year.

Party election spokesman Lord Scriven said: "The Liberal Democrats are the only party prepared to commit to spending the £8bn extra the NHS says it needs to survive."

In other election developments:

• Nick Clegg attacked the Conservatives' plans for the economy as he stepped up his attack on his coalition partners since 2010

• David Cameron is visiting Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England in a single day

• Tony Blair entered the campaign for Labour with an attack on the Conservatives' Europe policy

• Research for BBC Scotland suggested voters in Scotland favour targeted public spending ahead of efforts to eliminate the deficit or cut taxes

• The Green Party said a pledge of a £72-a-week Citizens' Income for every British adult would be in its manifesto but would take more than five years to introduce

• Nigel Farage dismissed calls from Mr Cameron for UKIP supporters to "come home" to the Conservatives

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