Heidi Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, commenting on today’s NHS finance announcement, said:

“As always with this Government’s announcements on the NHS the devil is in the detail.

"With hospitals facing a £2.2 billion deficit this year, and demand going up, this money will simply be plugging the black hole that has emerged in NHS finances under the Tories. 

"If new investment in the NHS is to be funded by raiding budgets for nurse training, public health and social care, then it will be robbing Peter to pay Paul. The lesson from the last parliament is that cutting preventative services piles the pressure on hospitals, and the Government must not make this mistake again.

"Ministers also remain committed to making £22 billion worth of efficiency savings in the NHS by 2020. Everyone in the NHS knows that efficiencies on this scale simply cannot be delivered without harming patient care.

"No amount of spin will disguise the fact that the NHS is under huge pressure, not least this winter.”