Welsh NHS 'must deliver' £700m of efficiency savings

Funding needs to rise if the Welsh NHS is to maintain its current level of service, according to the report. Credit: PA

The NHS in Wales 'must deliver' £700m of efficiency savings - almost 10% of current NHS spending - to close the projected funding gap by 2019/20, according to an independent charity.

The report, conducted by the Health Foundation, also shows current health services in Wales could be maintained only if Welsh NHS funding rises by 2.2% above inflation each year from 2019/20 to 2030/31.

This would be far higher than recent increases of 0.7% a year, but is in line with estimates of the long-term trend in UK economic growth.

However, the decision to leave the EU has increased uncertainty about this economic outlook. Additional funding over and above 2.2% would also be needed to fund any major improvements to the quality of health care.

The elderly population in Wales is expected to rise over the next fifteen years - putting greater pressure on social care services. Credit: PA

There are similar concerns that the pressure on social care services in Wales could also rise, as the population ages.

Between 2015 and 2030 it's expected that the number of over 65s in Wales will increase by 28.5%. As a result, pressures on social care are projected to rise at a faster rate than for the NHS - at over 4% a year above inflation.

With funding unlikely to rise at the same rate, there is a real risk that the level of unmet need for care services in Wales could increase.

But Cabinet Health Secretary Vaughn Gething says he's optimistic about the future of the NHS in Wales - as long as the UK Government doesn't continue a policy of public service cuts.