MEDICINE BALLS
Follow the money…
THE Nuffield Trust has helpfully combined different data sets to work out where the NHS budget went in England in 2022-23. It breaks down as follows: NHS trusts spent £68.1bn on acute care, and £10.4bn on mental health care; and the total GP/primary care spend was £9.4bn. Community healthcare by NHS trusts cost £7.8bn, ambulance care £3bn, and the local authority public health grant was a tiny £2.7bn. Meanwhile the total NHS dental spend was £2.5bn, and the NHS spent £2.3bn on ophthalmic and pharmacy services.