The Budget: is the government listening?

The Budget: is the government listening? In the 40 or more years I have worked with and for the NHS, I can’t remember a time when the government of the day has been so unwilling to act on credible evidence of service and funding pressures. On three previous occasions – 1974, 1988 and 2000 – Conservative and Labour governments heeded warnings of an impending crisis, and found extra resources, often substantial, to maintain and improve care. Why then has the current government turned a deaf ear to the entreaties to provide extra funding from the National Audit Office, the Care Quality Commission, the royal medical colleges, and many others? The King's Fund