Former minister points to 'incompetence' in NHS

On its way to America.

But this meant putting off vitally needed change and left a gaping "productivity gap". "Between 1997 and 2007 NHS inputs – by that I mean cash – went up by 60%," he said. "But NHS outputs went down by 4%. Two thirds of the money we put in just went into pay."


Spending on the NHS has risen to more than £127bn, almost a 10th of national income. "Even worse, when you take into account social care health, you find that the Department of Health now accounts for almost a third of public spending".