![\"Northumbria](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_Js111413772.jpg\")
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, in Cramlington, Northumberland.(Image: MDM)<\/p>\nThe health service’s budget stands at \u00a3200 billion a year<\/p>\n
10:00, 03 Sep 2025Updated 10:47, 03 Sep 2025<\/p>\n
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, in Cramlington, Northumberland.(Image: MDM)<\/p>\n
A North East NHS <\/a>boss has admitted that reform is needed in the health sector after a county councillor criticised the \u201cmind blowing\u201d cost of the service. The health service budget currently stands at more than \u00a3200 billion a year.<\/p>\n Coun Georgina Hill, the chairman of Northumberland County Council\u2019s <\/a>health and wellbeing scrutiny committee pointed out that the cost of the health service took up two thirds of income tax receipts. Income tax receipts for the UK came to \u00a3301 billion for 2024\/25.<\/p>\n Speaking at Tuesday\u2019s meeting of the committee following a presentation giving an overview of the health service, she said: \u201cWe often come back to fundamental problems with the NHS<\/a> that need significant reform. Two thirds of everybody\u2019s income tax goes on the health service.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are mind boggling figures. There are examples of phenomenal services, but day to day and with GPs there are so many problems with the NHS and so much cost.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a reluctance to address the issues and it needs significant reform. People who work in the NHS are often in a good position to suggest things but probably feel that they can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Responding to Coun Hill\u2019s comments, director of delivery for Northumberland<\/a> and North Tyneside<\/a> at the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) Rachel Mitcheson pointed to the recent adoption of the Government\u2019s ten-year plan for the health service.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cYou raise a good point. I think that is what the ten-year plan is trying to address with bringing healthcare closer to home, moving services out of hospitals and making them more accessible so people can access care when they need to.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does take a huge amount of reform to do that. It\u2019s a big change to how clinicians work and how people see it.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s what they\u2019re trying to do as well as be more of a health service rather than an illness service. We focus so much on treating the illness that we don\u2019t look at how we can keep people healthy so they don\u2019t become sick in the first place.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not sustainable moving forward \u2013 people recognise that. It does need to change. Going forward, we need to get to a better place. It\u2019s very much something that we talk about all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n The NHS ten year plan, known as \u201cFit for the Future\u201d was launched in July this year and outlines strategies for modernising and improving the health service. The plan had three \u201cbig shifts\u201d to how the NHS will work.<\/p>\n These are:<\/p>\n from hospital to community: more care will be available on people\u2019s doorsteps and in their homesfrom analogue to digital: new technology will liberate staff from admin and allow people to manage their care as easily as they bank or shop onlinefrom sickness to prevention: we\u2019ll reach patients earlier and make the healthy choice the easy choice<\/p>\n Our Northumberland Live newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here<\/a>. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from in and around Northumberland.<\/p>\n