[monoclechris]

The UK has never reduced NHS funding in real terms year on year.

[iso1631]

Actually it has

https://imgur.com/WrTXfQS

From 1970 the amount of money the UK spent on healthcare per capita bobbed kept bobbing around between 90% and 100% of 1970 levels (when adjusted for healthcare inflation of all G7 countries) until 1992. There was then a slight increase until 1998, large increases until 2004, then it dropped until 2012. It jumped massively in 2013, then dropped slightly in 2014, remaining steady through 2017.

Since the 2007 financial crash, UK health funding dropped in 9 years, and increased in 3 years

(figures from OECD total health spending per country)

[monoclechris]

Please re-read my statement and compare it to your claim.

[iso1631]

You said "The UK has never reduced NHS funding in real terms year on year"

I have shown how it has, 9 times in the last 12 years.

[monoclechris]

I made no reference to anything per capita.

[drewstiff]

So you're saying that government investment in the NHS has refused to keep pace with the population increase, when both the investment requirements and the taxation income can be assumed to be reasonably proportional to population size? Seems like either incompetence or malevolence to me.

Either way, yes you are 'technically correct' that you didn't mention per capita. Hope that gives you the warm fuzzy feeling you're looking for. Well done!

[switch007]

Parent said relative to the rest of the world. Is that also false? You referenced inflation only

[switch007]

IMHO focussing on the NHS budget seems myopic. I haven't got the faintest clue about public health spending but there are so many things you can question like

- What is medical inflation compared to overall inflation?

- What do other countries spend?

- Are we getting value for money?

- Are key statistics getting worse despite increase budgets?

- How does population factor in to spending?

etc

[iso1631]

> - What is medical inflation compared to overall inflation?

In the G7, per year

  1970-1980 13%
  1980-1990 8%
  1990-2000 5%
  2000-2010 6%
  2010-2018 4%

> What do other countries spend?

Far more than the UK

> - Are we getting value for money?

A notoriously difficult question with healthcare

> - Are key statistics getting worse despite increase budgets?

That depends on how you define the statistics, which is massively subjective

> - How does population factor in to spending?

Older populations lead to more health spending

[monoclechris]

I am focusing the discussion on reality and facts. Everyone else can speculate as much as they want.

[twic]

Fact, singular. Taken in isolation from a context which could give it quite different meaning.

[monoclechris]

If someone makes a false statement, it is not unreasonable to dispute that claim.

[iso1631]

You are the only one making a false statement

[jahaja]

Are you suggesting that one should only look at the absolute numbers? Staying at the previous year's funding is usually - in practice - a reduction for most welfare services.

[monoclechris]

I am suggesting we keep in line with reality and facts, nothing more, nothing less.

[jahaja]

Yes, and facts is that freezing funding while costs rise is effectively a reduction in funding.

[iso1631]

With aging populations and more expensive healthcare funding, health inflation is far higher.

The only real way to compare is to create a healthcare inflation index on a per capita basis from a group of like countries and look at funding that way.