Health Minister Karin Smyth said she understood the “real pressures” the health sector was facing as a result of increasing employers’ National Insurance contributions and this had been taken into account when allocating the funding.

Calls have been made for GPs, dentists, hospices and pharmacies to be exempt from the increase which was announced in the Chancellor’s Budget last month.

The British Medical Association’s general practice committee said the “cruel” rise would force GPs to make cuts “which impact on patient care”, while the National Pharmacy Association said it had “put even more pharmacies on the threshold”.

During an urgent question on the issue, the Liberal Democrats branded the increase a “blanket penalty” and the Conservatives called on the government to “admit they got it wrong and make a change”.

The minister told the Commons: “(The urgent question) gives me an opportunity to tell GPs, dentists, nursing homes and every part of the health and care system that will be affected by the changes to employers’ national insurance contributions on that this Government understands the pressures it faces and takes its representation seriously.

“The Chancellor considered the impact of the changes to National Insurance when he allocated an extra £26bn to the Department of Health and Social Care.

“There are well-established processes to agree funding allocations across the system, we are now going through those processes with this issue in mind.”

Labor MP Rachael Maskell (York Central) said the health sector was “very concerned about the increased cost pressures being placed on these services”.

She added: “She will ensure that there is enough in the trick-down approach that the department will now have to put in place to maintain the current level of service but also to see that transition that is urgently needed in the health service ?”

Ms Smyth said: “The pressures are very real. We understand those pressures. That is why we are committed to supporting the NHS and the social care system with this extra funding.”

Former Tory minister Sir Edward Leigh said: “I beg the minister to reconsider and exempt hospices and care homes from this.”

Ms Smyth replied: “We will continue conversations with all affected providers as normal.”

The shadow minister, Dr. Luke Evans, a former GP, said: “Many in the health sector would have been delighted to hear the announcement of extra NHS funding, only to have the joy of being brought down by the achievement of a broken manifesto. promises not to raise national insurance contributions.

“This was only compounded by the discovery that a host of frontline care providers – care homes, hospices, care charities, pharmacies, GPs to name but a few – found themselves not exempt from NI increases, leaving them with crippling staffing bills. and the threat of closure and layoffs.

“The hospice sector expects the cost to be £30m, closures and redundancies. For GPs, the initial valuation could be £260m, closing redundancies and the cost of 2.2m appointments.

“And for the care sector, the changes alone will cost £2.4bn, on top of the £600m announced for social support. So does she accept that council tax will inevitably have to rise to support growth?”

Dr. Evans added that “the sense of anger among pharmacy owners has been exponentially heightened by the Budget” as he called on the Government to “admit they were wrong and make a change”.

The minister said she was “flabbergasted” by Dr Evans’ comments, adding: “Talk about joy. There was no joy when we inherited the mess they left in July.”

She added: “We will go through the allocation of the additional funds in the normal process, which will be faster than it was under his government because we are committed to giving the sector much more certainty.”

In response to a written question from the former Conservative minister, Dr. Caroline Johnson, Defense Secretary Al Carns confirmed the cost to the MoD would be £216m.

On Thursday, Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Alison Bennett said: “The minister agrees with me that stronger primary care, with faster appointments and fewer people having to go to hospital, is better for the NHS and for patients and if so will she protect services and press the Chancellor to end this GP penalty?”

Ms Smyth replied: “We will be talking to general practices as part of the contract reforms over the next few months in the normal process about next year’s allocations.”

Conservative Baron Sir Roger Gale (Herne Bay and Sandwich) said GPs and hospices needed answers now about extra funding to help them cope with the increase in employers.

He said, “Dr. Aleksandra Fox from Ash Surgery in my constituency is one of the GPs who pointed out to me the damaging effects of a poorly thought out budget.

“Add to this, charities such as Shooting Star Children’s Hospice and Demelza House Children’s Hospice, which are now facing problems.

“They are looking forward to discussions through the usual channels while this trick is being worked out. When will something be done about this please?”

Ms Smyth replied: “He says it’s a poorly thought out budget, I don’t know if he agrees or disagrees with the extra funding this government has ensured the NHS has been given after the disaster of the last 14 years.”