NHS Funding - Part I: The Problem

We seem desperately to need a way to make sensible judgements about the affordability of NHS treatments. Total public spending is expected to be around £583 billion in 2007/08 or (with a UK population about 60 million) about £9,500 for every man, woman and child. By then the NHS budget will be £92.6 billion so that is £1,500 a year per person. Average life expectancy is near 80 (less for men), so at today's prices the average amount spent throughout an average a person's life is £120,000. Since 1997 the NHS budget will have almost trebled by 2008.

But the NHS can only pay for what we give it in pocket money, sorry, tax. So here are some costs: 10 minute GP appointment £24; visit to A&E £106; routine birth £825; caesarean section £2,000; broken leg £2,000 - £3,500; hip replacement: £4,600 - £7,000; chemotherapy and radiotherapy £35,000; Herceptin £21,000 for one year's treatment; kidney dialysis £750 a week; heart transplant £31,635; liver transplant £77,000 (for a lifetime's care).

So how can we make sense of that - I'm going to get round to that....