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The NHS is our most cherished national institution. For seven decades it has been there for all of us, offering care and compassion from cradle to grave. Earlier this year, on the 70th anniversary of the NHS, IPPR established the Lord Darzi Review of Health and Care. This celebrated the successes of the institution, but also took an honest look at the challenges it is facing in the years to come.

The final report of this review – Better health and care for all – was published this year and set out a comprehensive funding and reform plan to secure the NHS for future generations (Darzi 2018). The report helped shape the debate which led to a new funding settlement for the NHS – with funding set to grow at 3.4 per cent per annum for the next five years. This will see the NHS receive an extra £20.5 billion per year by 2023. The NHS is now authoring a long-term plan to determine how this extra spending is to be invested.