Budget measures revealed today finally acknowledge the pressure the NHS and social care are under, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has said.
The chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced £100m to reduce A&E admissions and £350m for the 'most advanced' sustainability and transformation plans (STPs).
Prof Karen Middleton, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said:
'Today's announcement is a belated, albeit partial, recognition of the enormous pressures faced in the NHS and social care.
'Transformation budgets have been plundered to plug trust deficits so the extra money for certain STPs is welcome.
'Also welcome is the acknowledgement that immediate relief is needed in a&e and social care.
‘Physiotherapists working in triage services that prevent admissions are already showing what can be done in this regard and hopefully the additional funds will be used to replicate those models elsewhere.
'But we need to be clear that the NHS is substantially underfunded and social care has faced significant cuts in recent years.
'Only a response that reflects the scale of the challenge will move us on from this state of seemingly perpetual crisis towards a more sustainable and equitable future.'
Note to editors
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1. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the UK’s professional, educational and trade union body. We have more than 56,000 members, including chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers.
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