NHS chief Simon Stevens accuses Theresa May of ‘stretching the truth’ over funding as open war breaks out with No 10
In an explosive appearance in front of MPs today, the health boss fired off a series of extraordinary barbs at the PM after he received negative briefings from No 10
NHS boss Simon Stevens has fired off a series of extraordinary barbs at Theresa May as open war broke out between the health chief and No10.
In an explosive appearance in front of MPs today, the NHS England head accused the PM of "stretching" the truth over extra cash given to hospitals and GPs.
The health service supremo directly contradicted comments the PM made about the NHS "getting more money" than it needed.
And in a stinging taunt aimed at Mrs May he insisted the health service was "quite different" to the criminal justice system" she was previously in charge of.
It came as the Prime Minister branded Red Cross claims the NHS had been forced into a "humanitarian crisis" as "irresponsible and overblown".
Mr Stevens’s grilling by MPs came after he ended up on the receiving end of negative briefings from No10.
And it followed pointed comments the PM made last year saying the NHS had been given £2bn extra than it needed.
Mr Stevens blasted: "I have said before we got less than we asked for. It would be stretching it to say the NHS has got more than we asked for."
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And he slammed funding plans saying NHS spending would go down from 2018, "10 years after Lehman brothers and austerity began".
Questioned over NHS budgets being raided for day-to-day spending, he replied: "We are not robbing Peter to pay Paul. We are robbing Paul to pay Paul."
He told MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee: "In the here and now there are very real pressures."
"This is not because hospitals are being feckless. It doesn’t help anybody to pretend there aren’t finance gaps."
In a further jibe, Mr Stevens even held up a newspaper report highlighting how the NHS lagged behind other EU countries in key areas.
And when questioned by SNP MP Phil Boswell over cuts to social care funding, he replied: "I’ve been running a little campaign against doing that, enthusiastically I might add."
The reply was a pointed reference to being described as "unenthusiastic" by Downing Street aides.
Sir Nick MacPherson, ex- Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, later backed up the NHS boss, tweeting: “A good guy but he should not determine health spending. Money should be linked to reform.”
NHS chief Jim Mackey also floated the idea of a two-hour waiting target instead of four for the sickest casualty patients.
Senior Tories called on ministers to give their "unequivocal backing" to Mr Stevens.
Dr Sarah Wollaston, chair of the Commons Health Select Committee, said the No10 briefings against him were "extraordinarily disappointing".
No 10 said last night they did not recognise the claims.
Last night Labour’s Shadow Health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Theresa May was "in denial" about the crisis facing the NHS.
He said: "Just hours after the Prime Minister stands up at PMQs commending her Government’s funding of the NHS, the NHS England chief tells MPs that it would be stretching it to say that the NHS has got more money than it asked for."
"Enough is enough. Theresa May needs to come out of her bunker, admit she’s got it wrong and guarantee the funding the NHS needs.”
Meanwhile, MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan claimed patients were turning up at A&E just to get free prescriptions they would have to pay for if they visited their GP.
But during PMQs the PM did agree to meet a cross-party group of MPs to discuss long term plans for the NHS.
The Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman insisted the figures "spoke for themselves" and Mr Stevens had welcomed the funding.