Thank you for contacting me about how to fund the NHS in the future. I know you will join me in wishing the NHS a happy 70th birthday in July.

Should you wish to pay an additional 1% tax on your income, I have confirmed with Treasury Ministers that it is possible now for you to make a ‘patriotic gift’ of this amount.

Since 2010/11, Government expenditure on health services has risen 20%, from £119.9 billion to £144.3 billion in 2016/17. The question of how to fund the NHS in the long-term is one of the most pressing political issues facing the country. Demand only continues to rise, and as the population ages, there are a growing number of widespread chronic conditions which will be increasingly expensive and challenging to address.

This is why I welcome the Prime Minister’s recently announced plans to invest an additional £20.5 billion in the NHS by 2023. This will equate to nearly £400 million more a week in real terms, securing the future of our greatest national inheritance. Under this plan, NHS funding will grow on average by 3.4% in real terms each year from 2019-20 to 2023-24. This increased funding will go to support a new long-term, 10 year plan that the NHS will put forward, which will help tackle waste and improve services.

While further details of how this funding will be provided are to be set out in due course, I can assure you that the Government is working to deliver a solution which provides the NHS with the investment it needs, and will be financially sustainable.

Locally, I continue to work hard to support the NHS, in particular ensuring that the Worcestershire NHS Acute Trust has the right funds to add capacity at Accident and Emergency. An extra £29 million has been secured to help fund much needed improvements at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and I continue to support the new management team leading programmes to improve patient care at our local acute hospitals.