HEALTHCARE in Reading is among the most underfunded in the UK, new figures show.
A study conducted by online retailer Vape Globe analysed data collected by the Institute for Fiscal Studies last year to find out which areas saw the least NHS funding.
While Wokingham was shown to see the least spending per capita, at £1,777, Reading placed in second with just £1,842.
Bath and North East Somerset ranked a close third, with just four more pounds spent per person, followed by York in fourth with £1,877.
Bracknell Forest ranked fifth, with £1,889 spent per capita, but had seen the lowest amount of total funding in the top 10.
Leicestershire ranked sixth, West Berkshire seventh, and Milton Keynes eighth, followed by Slough and Swindon respectively.
All of the top 10 received less than £2,000 per person, well below the national average of £2,263.
Three of the 10 least-invested in trusts were part of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire Integrated Careboard.
Blackpool topped the list of regions with the most funding, with £3,144 of funding per person, followed by Islington, Knowsley, The Wirral, and Camden.
The study looked at last year’s data from 151 local authorities around the UK and compared with population figures to calculate spending per person.
A spokesperson for Vape Globe commented on the findings: “The study highlights significant disparities in NHS funding across the UK, with some local authorities receiving less per capita funding than others.
“This results in certain councils dealing with worse financial positions than average, which has recently forced some to invest in failed commercial dealings.
“Woking, with the most underfunded NHS, is one of these–the underfunding highlighted in the data sparked a chain reaction in the last few years that made the council declare bankruptcy in 2023, underscoring just how serious this problem is throughout the UK.”
More information about Vape Globe is available via: vapeglobe.co.uk
