Welsh Government draft budget 2023: A budget for hard times
The Royal College of Podiatry comments on the Welsh Government's Draft Budget
On 13 December 2022, Rebecca Evans, Welsh Government Minister for Finance and Local Government, announced the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget for 2023-24. The Minister announced an extra £165m for NHS Wales to help protect frontline services and funding for councils to help deliver the Real Living Wage in health and social care.
Prior to the budget there had been plenty of warnings from the Welsh Government about the value of the budget being eroded by inflation. Other reports, such as the Wales Fiscal Analysis Report from Cardiff University, highlighted that spending would likely fall short of the funding pressures felt by the health service in the aftermath of the pandemic. There are, therefore, few surprises in the Draft Budget.
Anyone working in the health service or trying to access health services will be acutely aware of the pressures upon the Welsh NHS, and the immediate need for long-term investment and a long-term workforce strategy. The Royal College of Podiatry is thus disappointed that overall health and social services spending in Wales will increase by 6.31%, to £10.9 bn, less than the Consumer Price Index of inflation rate of 11.1%. Whether this is sufficient to tackle the large post-pandemic waiting list or attract and retain health and social care professionals remains to be seen. The Welsh Government acknowledges that “even with this uplift in funding … there will be difficult choices for the NHS as it seeks to protect frontline services amidst the twin pressures of high inflation and rising energy costs.”
Following scrutiny of the Draft Budget plans by Senedd Cymru, the final Budget for 2023-24 will be published on 7 March 2023.