Health: Accident and Emergency

House of Lords written question – answered at on 10 February 2011.

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Photo of Lord Taylor of Warwick Lord Taylor of Warwick Non-affiliated

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether accident and emergency departments will be affected by spending cuts.

Photo of Earl Howe Earl Howe The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

Funding for the National Health Service is not being cut. In October, the Government announced that health funding will grow in real terms during this Spending Review for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15.

However, the Government have been clear that, in order to continue to meet rising demands and to improve outcomes for patients, efficiency improvements of up to £20 billion will be required over the next four years. In order to deliver better quality and more efficient services for patients, some changes to the ways in which services are delivered will be required and it will be for the NHS locally to determine how best services, including accident and emergency services, are designed and provided to meet the needs of their patients.

The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011-12, published in December 2010, made clear that any changes to the way services are delivered must be consistent with the four key tests for service reconfigurations set out by the Secretary of State for Health in May 2010. These are:

support from general practitioner commissioners;strengthened public and patient engagement;clarity on the clinical evidence base; andconsistency with current and prospective patient choice.

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