Health Minister Claire Christian said all healthcare systems around the world were “grappling with rising costs” and even with savings, inflation could “sometimes outpace them, which puts added pressure on our budget”
“The team remains firmly committed to managing those challenges carefully,” she said.
DHSC the overspends were down to several key factors, including a 3.9% tariff increase by the UK’s NHS in October for off-island care, which had prompted a review into the cost of tertiary care.
Inflation had affected the price of a number of medications, pushing drug spending up by 4% on the previous year.
The department said there were also “significant increases in costs for treatments in cancer, rheumatology, renal, gastroenterology and cystic fibrosis”.
Several new services, ranging from the emergency helicopter service, to staff training, and community pharmacy contract changes, had also cost the department an extra £3.8m.
And a further £2.3m was needed to cover staff pay rises, which were settled at 8%.
These pressures were cited among others as the reason the DHSC would be using the full £10m contingency funding allocated to the department.