Introduction

The 2017 Budget on 8 March confirmed that, while there was extra money for social care and a small amount of extra capital funding for the NHS, there would be no extra revenue funding for the NHS in 2017/18, the new financial year which starts on 1 April 2017. Analysis by NHS Providers predicts that without realism, flexibility and support, it is impossible for the NHS hospital, ambulance, community and mental health trusts who account for more than 63% of NHS spend, to deliver all that they are being asked for in 2017/18.

The analysis sets out the following:

• Section 2: The NHS 2017/18 financial envelope
• Section 3: What NHS trusts need to deliver in 2017/18
• Section 4: An analysis of each element of this task
• Section 5: An estimate of the patient impact of failing to deliver in 2017/18
• Section 6: NHS Providers’ proposals on what next.