The Wanless report has today called for a greater percentage of national income to be spent on healthcare over the next two decades.

The report calls for a seven per cent boost in health spending each year over the next five years.

Forum Response: The Disabilities Trust

James Rye, external affairs director at The Disabilities Trust, told ePolitix.com: "Today is Budget day and as the chancellor is expected to announce significant increases in health spending, it is crucial that the government recognises the need to maintain the momentum generated by increased spending over the long term.

"In addition to ensure that the money spent does genuinely translate into improvements 'on the ground' it is necessary to ensure there are real reforms of the structure of health care in this country and therReport is a valuable contribution to that ongoing debate."

Forum Response: Royal College of Nursing

Dr Beverly Malone, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, told ePolitix.com: "The RCN welcomes the publication of Derek Wanless' final report. The report highlights the need for increased numbers of health care workers in the future to deliver a better service to patients - an issue with which the RCN is greatly concerned.

"Furthermore the report states very clearly that increasing the workforce, including nursing staff, is dependent on the successful conclusion of the current pay modernisation process, Agenda for Change. The RCN is fully committed to seeing through the pay modernisation process and is encouraged by Mr Wanless' conclusions that this will be essential to future staffing levels."

Forum Response: Cancer Research UK

Sir Paul Nurse, interim chief executive of Cancer Research UK, told ePolitix.com: "We welcome the Wanless' Report's recognition that the National Health Service is in need of significant long term investment.

"In many key areas of health, including cancer treatment and services, the UK is still playing catch-up to the standards set in other Western countries. But it is vital that any investment made is properly targeted and managed, to ensure patients see a real benefit."

Forum Response: Unison

Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, told ePolitix.com: "There is no doubt that the problems confronting the NHS are a legacy of years of under investment and neglect.

"It will take years to recover the situation but we believe it can be done. We need to get spending up to the European average on health if we are to achieve the goal of a world-class health service.

"Not only do we have to get spending up, we need to get the money spent. Far too much cash is being underspent or tied up in unwieldy long-term PFI contracts.

"We in Unison understand that raising taxes is a very difficult decision for the government. But you can't achieve world class public services on the cheap."

Forum Response: The Stroke Association

Eoin Redahan a director of The Stroke Association, told ePolitix.com: "The Stroke Association is horrified that one of the conditions that takes up a significant proportion of NHS funds has not been considered in the Wanless Report.

"It is estimated that the provision of stroke services consumes over £2.5 billion of NHS and social care budgets - comparable figure for heart disease being £2billion. Despite this, Wanless has decided to ignore a costing for stroke services because "it would have required more time to fit these [National Service Framework for Older People] into a disease-based modelling approach.

"Words fail me. How can the third biggest killer in this country and main cause of serious adult disability be ignored in such an important document. The irony is that the report stresses the need for future National Service Frameworks to include estimates for staff, equipment, technology and cash needs for delivery. But then hasn't followed their own advice in relation to stroke.

"We do welcome the report, especially the importance given to health promotion and disease prevention, and the need for sustained investment in social, in addition to health, care. But what we can't understand is that, having pointed out to the author that stroke services had not been included in the Interim Report, the final report still ignores this specific cost. Yet again, we see a blind spot when it comes to a condition that affects mainly the elderly. This is not on."

Forum Response: Health Development Agency

A spokeswoman for The Health Development Agency told ePolitix.com: "We warmly welcome the Wanless Report. Never before has there been such a strong endorsement of the potential positive impact of public health work - health promotion, disease prevention, and targeted action on health inequalities - on the bottom line of future health spending.

"It's noteworthy that the evidence about the impact of public health has made a significant contribution to this final Report. We hope that the Report will increase the recognition that public health plays a vital role in helping to reduce the future incidence of diseases, such as Coronary Heart Disease and Cancer, as well as ill-health in old age. This in turn will help ease the demand for future health care.

"In particular, we are pleased that the Report includes public health as a major factor in its scenarios for the health service over the next 20 years, and builds into them the effect of action on diet and physical activity as well as on smoking, along with assumptions about the need to spend more on public health. It also strongly supports smoking cessation programmes, showing how well they compare for cost-effectiveness with interventions such as statins.

"We welcome the links made by Wanless between public health work and the size of the effects of an ageing population on health service demand; the size of the shift towards self care, and the impact of the recommended extension of the NSF approach to a wider range of disease areas.

"Wanless rightly stresses the need for evidence-based approaches. One of the Health Development Agency's aims is to provide the evidence and guidance that will help local and regional organisations work towards the health inequalities targets. The Report makes a strong case for investment in building the evidence base about public health and in refining models of future expenditure in which public health work is a significant factor. The Health Development Agency is willing and able to take part in this work."