FOOTBALL season tickets, National Trust passes and garden furniture are among the luxuries purchased from NHS health budgets, it has been revealed.
The Tax Payers’ Alliance (TPA) says thousands of pounds of public money from NHS health budgets has been spent on lavish items.
Freedom of Information requests sent to Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) show how personal health budgets were used to spend tax payers' money.
Cash went on holidays, garden furniture, trampolines and tickets to theme parks.
This includes more than £3,000 from NHS West Sussex CCG which was spent on National Trust membership, a Merlin Pass, a Chelsea football club season ticket and an Amazon Prime subscription.
NHS Brighton and Hove CCG spent £500 on a gym membership and fuel, while NHS East Sussex CCG spent more than £2,000 on outdoor furniture, a gym membership and a tablet.
The spending has been revealed as part of the TPA’s "war on waste" campaign.
All the purchases are allowed under the scheme known as personal health budgets, which allow around 200,000 patients in England to decide what care or equipment would support them.
Funds cannot be spent on gambling, debt repayment, alcohol or tobacco.
Other spending across England includes £5,000 spent on a hot tub from NHS North Tyneside CCG and £579.98 from NHS Norfolk and Waveney CCG on a PlayStation 4 with VR package.
All of these examples of spending are from the last year.
The TPA is calling on the government to ensure value for money in health spending, following the announcement of a national insurance hike to fund health and social care.
James Roberts, political director of the Tax Payers' Alliance, said: "Taxes on working people should not be going up to pay for health service hot tubs.
"Given the new health and social care levy, taxpayers will not accept their money being wasted.
"While everyone's care needs will be different, it beggars belief that health budgets could be forking out for jacuzzis, video games and football tickets.
"The upcoming spending review needs to ensure the NHS is offering value for money in every pound it is spending."
The Sussex-based NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups have been approached for comment.
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