article_snippet.sent: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised to give NHS chiefs 'whatever they need' after the election.
article_snippet.sent: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt claimed a Conservative government would find whatever money the health service said the health service needed to cope with the growing pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries.
article_snippet.sent: the NHS's chief executive Simon Stevens has said the health service needs an extra £8billion a year by 2020 just to keep standards as the health service are.
article_snippet.sent: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today vowed to find the cash – but went further by claiming that the Government would find even more cash if they health service needed it.
article_snippet.sent: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told BBC Radio 4's The World At One: 'We will back the NHS's own plan in full, so We agree with the £30 billion gap, and We agree with the NHS when the NHS say that if the NHS can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion. '
article_snippet.sent: But they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion also said in the NHS's own plan very clearly that they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion might need less than £8 billion if they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion can make more efficiency savings, or they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion might need more than £8 billion if they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion can't make those efficiency savings.'
article_snippet.sent: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: 'they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion will give whatever they can make £22 billion of efficiency savings the NHS would need £8 billion need, it might be more than £8 billion, it might be less, but the point is you can only have this discussion if you have a strong and growing economy.' '
article_snippet.sent: Over the course of this parliament, on the back of a strong and growing economy, we have actually increased funding for the NHS by £5 billion in real terms every year.'
article_snippet.sent: That's what our plan will do.'
article_snippet.sent: Thanks to a strong and growing economy we are investing £2 billion in the frontline next year to transform care in the community and take the pressure off hospitals.'
article_snippet.sent: Mr Hunt said the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund – announced last year – covered 1,100 practices and helped 7.5 million patients see GPs in the evenings and at weekends.