THE subject of the future funding of the NHS continues to dominate my inbox and the vast majority of those who have written to me welcome the news of £20bn extra funding.

However, as I have often said, more money is important but it is not a cure-all. I continue to acknowledge that the fact that many people are prepared to call for and then happily accept a funding boost does not outweigh a vast range of opinions on how that should be achieved and on what the money should be spent.

I think we must the rigorous in ensuring the extra money is spent wisely and in ways that encourage wider improvements in public health that will reduce the growth rate in long-term demand on the NHS.

I also want to see the cash boost go hand in hand with fresh impetus to eliminate duplication and waste, which is significant within the health system as a whole.

In return for going through the process of increasing taxation to fund the NHS, people should expect to get value for money. The challenge goes to the heart of government at a time when the total tax burden is already on course to hit its highest point since 1986.

Raising the money to meet the ever-increasing needs of our ageing population means there will almost no room for manoeuvre in other areas of government spending and this will no doubt be hotly contested in the years ahead.

Locally, we are extremely fortunate that the leadership of our hospital take a wide ranging view of their obligations and have grasped the need for significant developments to our hospital estate to future-proof the core provision and ensure we continue to have the right facilities to match the profile of our community.

The Chancellor will make announcements on any future tax rises in future budgets, as part of his routine fiscal reporting. In the meantime, the priority has to be securing a final Brexit settlement, so that we can have more certainty over the future trajectory of the economy.

Tomorrow, Salisbury looks forward to the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. I will be joining the welcome party – bookended by a visit to a local business and a long-planned SW media obligation in Bristol!