And while there is now a completely new government, all the signs are the Treasury will still be playing hardball.
Indeed, the prime minister himself said there would be “no more money without reform”.
But the problem, as the likes of Matthew Taylor, the head of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS trusts, points out, is that requires significant upfront capital investment in buildings, technology and equipment.
Lord Darzi’s new report makes this clear, saying £37bn extra would have been invested in capital if the NHS had kept up with spending levels of similar countries during the 2010s.
Instead, it has been left with crumbling hospitals, operations being performed in portacabins and a fifth of GP premises predating the formation of the NHS, in 1948.
With the next winter crisis no doubt just around the corner and the health service already accounting for more than 40p out of every £1 spent on the day-to-day running of public services, it is easy to see why turning the NHS around is arguably the biggest challenge facing the new government.
