IEA Editorial & Research Fellow, Professor Len Shackleton and IEA Economics Fellow Julian Jessop were both quoted in the Mail Online suggesting extra cash for the NHS to deal with a patient backlog could be frittered away on staff pay, not front line health care.

Julian argued: “There is a risk that a temporary increase in spending on the NHS, to fix a temporary problem, becomes baked into the system, particularly via higher pay“.

Len Shackleton added: “The NHS is a huge employer, and any move to increase pay above the level already budgeted for will eat into the new funds made available“.

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