NHS Funding Trajectories

The National Health Service (NHS) absorbs roughly 40% of day-to-day government public service spending. With an aging population, the "demographic drag" on health spending is accelerating. Funding has increased in real terms historically by about 3.6% annually, but the decade of austerity (2010-2020) saw this drop below 1.5%, contributing to current capital backlogs and waiting lists.