The Northern Health Science Alliance’s Chief Executive, Hannah Davies, has responded to Spring Statement announced today (March 26, 2025) by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves MP:

“We welcome the continued commitment from Government to address challenges within the NHS to improve patient care. It is encouraging to see how some of the steps already taken are benefitting patients, including the targeted efforts to cut waiting lists.

“In the Spending Review later this year, we hope to see investment in health and life sciences research and development in the North of England. NHSA analysis highlighted the staggering regional imbalance in health research funding, with some individual buildings in the South receiving more infrastructure investment than the entire North combined.

“Investing in areas of greatest need, such as the North, has huge potential to transform the economy and population health. We hope Government will commit to levelling the playing field in the year ahead.

“We believe that long-term, place-based interventions, that focus on prevention, are key to driving growth in the economy. A prevention-led approach will improve people’s health and wellbeing and reduce NHS waiting lists and costs. The North of England’s health research assets and infrastructure can, and should, be central to this.”

Hannah Davies, Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance