Let’s take a look at what was announced…
NHS to receive a funding boost– a good start, but a successful 10-year plan is crucial.
We welcome that this budget takes initial steps towards easing NHS pressures in England and addressing the fiscal challenges it faces. Having a lifelong condition like Crohn's or Colitis means you become very familiar with the NHS, and sadly, the health service is in dire need of immediate support. In 2025-26, the UK government will provide an additional £22.6 billion of spending for the Department of Health and Social Care. This is aimed to support the NHS in England to deliver an additional 40,000 elective appointments a week and make progress towards the commitment that patients should expect to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. The Chancellor also announced further capital investment in public services in 2025-26 including £1.5 billion to deliver capacity for more than 30,000 NHS procedures, over 1.25 million more diagnostic tests and new beds across the NHS estate, and £1 billion to reduce the backlog of critical NHS maintenance, repairs and upgrades. This cash-injection for NHS England is long overdue, yet we know that this alone will not be enough to address many of the systemic issues facing our NHS.
A fortnight ago, the government launched a consultation to start the “biggest national conversation on the future of the NHS,” which will inform the ten-year health plan expected in spring. These announcements come the same week we submitted our open letter, which has gathered almost 35,000 signatures, to the Secretary of State Wes Streeting, calling on the Department of Health to “Cut the Wait” for those living with Crohn's and Colitis at every stage of their journey. We have long maintained that the only way the government can truly fix the NHS is by working in partnership with staff, patients, and charities like Crohn's & Colitis UK. Alongside today’s budget announcements, it's encouraging to see the UK Government putting the patient voice at the heart of its ten-year plan.
Employment support: challenges for people with fluctuating health conditions
Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in the Autumn Budget that the Labour Party government plans to follow through DWP reforms set out by the former Conservative government. We are concerned about the continuation of these plans for stricter criteria for the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). These changes could make it harder for people with Crohn’s and Colitis to qualify for essential disability benefits. Those managing fluctuating conditions already face multiple barriers when entering the job market, retaining jobs, and requesting reasonable adjustments. The changes risk excluding them from vital support when they need it most. For many in our community, balancing work and health is a daily struggle, and we will continue to work in coalition with other charities to ensure that people with Crohn’s or Colitis are not put at a greater financial risk.
Relief for funding of research and development
Before the budget, there were rumours that government funding for Research and Development would face real-terms cuts. Any reduction in funding to research and development would directly impacts health and life sciences research, where crucial advances are made in developing new treatments, diagnostics, and potentially a cure for chronic conditions like Crohn’s and Colitis. Therefore, we were pleased that Chancellor announced she would protect investment in R&D with more than £20 billion worth of funding, including £6.1 billion to protect core research funding for areas including medical science. As a country, we must always continue to invest in life sciences to ensure the future of studies into lifelong conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in the hope of developing new treatments and one day finding a cure.
Our next steps
We will always ensure that the voices and experiences of people living with Crohn’s and Colitis are heard at the heart of governments. Our focus will now be responding to the NHS ten-year plan consultation. The aim of the consultation is to gather feedback from people across the country and use their views, experiences, and ideas to enact real change in the NHS in England.
We will also encourage our community to take part and share feedback on the change.nhs.uk website. Soon, we’ll share some of our insights and ideas to help guide your own response. Whatever your age, circumstances, or profession, the consultation is an opportunity to share your experiences, ideas, and concerns about the state of our health and care system to help shape its future.
