The NHS serving Sutton Coldfield will now enjoy an extra £22 million, to support key Government priorities such as the Cancer Drugs Fund, investment in talking therapies for those with mental health conditions, 4,200 extra health visitors, and support for carers’ breaks, the Government announced last weekend. Spending on healthcare in the local area this year will total £747 million overall. The increase follows the decision by the Coalition Government to protect NHS investment over the next four years. Across England as a whole, over £89 billion will now be spent on doctors, nurses and frontline services in the NHS – an increase of more than £2.6 billion over the year before. Welcoming the increases in NHS funding, Andrew Mitchell MP said, “We recognise just how important the NHS is to this country - and to patients here in Sutton Coldfield. That’s why the Coalition Government has promised to protect the NHS. “Next year alone, our area will benefit from an extra £22 million of investment going straight to doctors, nurses and other frontline services. “Under Labour, billions of extra spending was swallowed up as the number of managers increased at five times the rate of the number of nurses. Their plans would have meant cutting the NHS, denying patients the improved services we are putting in place.”