UK PM Gordon Brown visited a health clinic this morning as new figures showed the NHS to be on an improved financial footing.
The UK Prime Minister was joined by Health Secretary Alan Johnson for a tour of the Riverside Medical Centre, a newly-opened NHS clinic in south London. The centre has four GPs and operates a number of clinics for a large diverse community in the Vauxhall area of the city.
During the visit Mr Brown and Mr Johnson took time to speak to staff members about the future of GP surgeries and how services can be further improved. They also asked for opinions on current social health issues such as smoking and obesity.
The PM’s visit came on the same day as the publication of NHS figures for the first quarter of the current financial year. The report forecasts an overall surplus of ?983 million for April 2008, up from a ?510 million surplus recorded in April this year.
Speaking this morning, Mr Brown said this would allow the Government to put money into other areas of the NHS, such as tackling hospital infections and ensuring people get the best personal care.
The Prime Minister said:
“I think the important thing is that the NHS is now yielding both results and efficiency savings, and where we have these savings we are able to put more money into other priorities. I think people do understand the health service is getting better but it has got to get even better in years to come.”
Speaking about today’s figures, Mr Johnson said:
“We have trebled the amount of resources. We have to stay within budgets. This means we have got a surplus of 1.3 per cent of the total budget, which is just about where it should be.
“We can spend that money on additional services. That money belongs to the NHS.”