| Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has confirmed that | | | | Although parliament has immediate plans to begin to |
| NHS spending will rise in real terms but stated that | | | | cut the deficit and deal with the debt crisis, during the |
| large efficiency warnings were crucial. He admitted | | | | campaign the Conservative Party were very clear |
| that Labour's extensive increase in health spending | | | | that they would not let the sick pay for Labour's debt |
| over their term in office was "not sustainable for the | | | | crisis by making cuts to the National Health Service. |
| future". Some questioned how the coalition of parties | | | | The coalition plan to safeguard the NHS by ensuring |
| with opposing views on health would affect the big | | | | that resources and spending are increased each year |
| question of spending but the Liberal Democrats have | | | | in real terms, but Lansey warned that just by |
| accepted a Conservative "ring-fence" to guarantee | | | | protecting the real level of spending relative to the level |
| real-term increases in keeping with inflation. | | | | of inflation in the economy as a whole, it will not |
| During the election campaign, Vince Cable, now | | | | protect the NHS from the need to secure efficiency |
| Business Secretary criticised the plan saying it would | | | | savings and to control pay and prices in the NHS. |
| require deeper cuts elsewhere in Whitehall. On BBC | | | | A plan of sustainability for the NHS is to create |
| Radio 4, Secretary Lansey declared that the Lib Dems | | | | efficiency savings in the same way the rest of the |
| had agreed the need for real term increases but | | | | public sector is required. Because of the nature of the |
| acknowledged that it will impact upon other | | | | NHS, Lansley believes that efficiency savings can be |
| departments. | | | | reinvested back into the NHS to deliver an improving |
| "We have come together as two parties, each with | | | | service. Lansley finished by acknowledging that |
| our own mandate from the General Election, but in | | | | although this spending plan will affect other areas, it is |
| order to secure the national interest," said Lansley. | | | | unsustainable to cut the real value of the NHS budget. |