After much lobbying we have secured a funding boost for of our local hospitals in South East London from the Government as part of its priorities to cut waiting lists.
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital will receive £10.6m to expand bed capacity and create a new ward, which will help reduce A&E waiting times.
- The PRUH will also receive £3.8m to boost bed capacity and reduce wait times.
- £2.2m boost for Bexley adult social care this winter.
- £2.5 million for Darent Valley Hospital to boost bed capacity.
This funding is part of the national funding of £250 million to boost NHS capacity with 900 new beds and aims to relieve pressures on hospitals and help cut waiting lists, one of the government’s top five priorities.
Thirty NHS organisations across England will benefit from the investment in urgent and emergency care services. This includes developing or expanding urgent treatment centres and same day emergency care services which will help patients to be seen more quickly, without being admitted to hospital. NHS England expects that the majority of schemes will be completed by January to help deal with winter pressures.
Commenting on the news, Louie French MP:
“This is really welcome news for health services in Bexley and South East London and these upgrades will help patients get seen faster and free up hospital capacity.
We are also hoping to share soon some further good news for Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and our ongoing work to secure a multi-million pound community diagnostics hub”.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:
“Cutting waiting lists is one of my top five priorities, so this year the government has started planning for winter earlier than ever before and the public can be reassured we are backing the NHS with the resources it needs.
These 900 new beds will mean more people can be treated quickly, speeding up flow through hospitals and reducing frustratingly long waits for treatment.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said:
“We know that winter is a difficult time so we’re working to get ahead of pressures whilst also creating a sustainable NHS fit for the future. That’s why we’re investing this £250 million to support NHS capacity and deliver 900 new beds, as part of our drive to put in place 5,000 permanent additional beds.
Creating additional hospital capacity will support staff to provide the best possible care and treat patients more quickly, helping us to improve waiting times and cut waiting lists - one of the government’s top five priorities.”
