The bunting was being unravelled at 39 Victoria Street this week, the home of the Department of Health and Social Care. It is the NHS's 70th birthday and with it, our most valued public service will be receiving the best gift possible – cash, and lots of it.

The Government's recent and welcome announcement will see the NHS budget rise by £20.5bn in real terms by 2023/24, an additional £394m a week. This funding will be front-loaded, with increases of 3.6% in the first two years of the new settlement to address some of the more immediate pressures the NHS is facing. That means an extra £4bn in real terms next year alone.