Responding to a new analysis by the Nuffield Trust which warns that efforts to cut waiting times will be hampered without extra funding in the autumn statement, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“This analysis is yet more evidence of the impact industrial action has had on NHS finances. It also shows how much more damage further walkouts could do to the health service’s financial position, productivity and care it provides patients.

“NHS leaders have been voicing concerns for months about the extra costs caused by the strikes and the £800m announced by the Government still leaves the NHS falling short of the full financial impact of industrial action. Further to this, we know that if walkouts start again all bets are off and we would be back to square one.

“Health leaders were desperate to see new money made available to plug the gap in their finances caused by the costs of industrial action and inflation eating into budgets. But instead we were offered the solution of taking money from capital budgets to cover these deficits.

“The NHS Confederation and Institute for Government have already warned that the Government must increase capital investment if it wants to clear backlogs and boost productivity.

“The Chancellor should be increasing capital investment not raiding existing capital budgets as a sticking plaster to cover the costs of industrial action.”