Health spending fell in the United Kingdom in 2010 and 2011 for the first time since the 1970s, according to a new OECD report.
Health at a Glance 2013 says that spending in real terms per capita fell by 1.1% in 2011, following a 2.5% decline in 2010. It had increased by an average of 5.3% per year over the previous decade.
It noted that the number of doctors in the UK has increased by over 50% since 2000, much more rapidly than in nearly all other OECD countries.
Consumption of certain types of prescribed drugs has also increased significantly since 2000 in the UK – notably the consumption of antidepressants and antibiotics – and is now well above the OECD average.
