NHS funding has been 'maxed out', says new boss in England

Ministers have "maxed out" the money they can give the NHS and it must learn to live with smaller annual budget rises, the health service's new boss in England has said.

- Denis Campbell

The parlous state of the country's finances meant the government could no longer afford to hand the service big uplifts every year, despite the huge pressures, Jim Mackey added.

"We are pretty much maxed out on what's affordable. It is really now about [the NHS] delivering better value for money, getting more change, delivering on getting back to reasonable productivity levels," said Mackey, who replaced Amanda Pritchard last month.

Speaking at an event in London on Thursday organised by the Medical Journalists' Association, Mackey also played down the prospect of the health service receiving significant extra cash in next month's comprehensive spending review.

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, will unveil the review - setting out government spending between 2026-27 and 2029-30 - on 11 June. In her first budget last October she gave the NHS in England an extra £22bn for 2024-25 and 2025-26.