NHS to receive extra £1.8 billion cash boost to improve patient care and save lives
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today confirmed a new £1.8 billion NHS cash injection to help improve patient care, with more beds, new cutting-edge equipment and additional wards being promised as part of the cash boost.
20 hospitals are set to share £850 million of new funding to upgrade outdated facilities and equipment, helping improve patient care and ultimately save more lives.
The Prime Minister will also confirm a £1 billion boost to NHS capital spending, allowing existing upgrade programmes to proceed and tackling the most urgent infrastructure projects.
Later this week, the Health Secretary will also set out further changes to the NHS pension scheme to support senior doctors and GPs taking on extra shifts.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The NHS is always there for us – free at the point of use for everyone in the country. With our doctors and nurses working tirelessly day in day out, this treasured institution truly showcases the very best of Britain.
“That’s why I made it my immediate task to make sure frontline services have the funding they need, to make a real difference to the lives of NHS staff, and above all, of patients.
“Today I’m delivering on this promise with a £1.8 billion cash injection – meaning more beds, new wards, and extra life-saving equipment to ensure patients continue to receive world-class care.
“It’s time to face up to this challenge and make sure the NHS receives the funds it needs, to continue being the best healthcare service in the world.”
The announcement delivers on the Prime Minister’s pledge when entering Downing Street to urgently upgrade 20 hospitals, and ensure money invested in the NHS is reaching the frontline as soon as possible.
Furthermore, the £1.8 billion funding is in addition to the extra £33.9 billion, in cash terms, the NHS is set to receive every year by 2023/24 through the Long Term Plan agreed last year. Over £1 billion of this will be spent this year, meaning an annual increase in the NHS’ capital budget of 30 percent.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock added: “I love the NHS – and so do the millions of taxpayers and their families cared for by our NHS every month. We owe it to them to make sure they can get the best treatment in the best hospitals.
“On top of the extra £33.9 billion a year we are giving the NHS, today we are making a downpayment for the future of NHS buildings and facilities, with a £1.8 billion fund to revitalise our hospitals and immediate funding for bigger wards, better mental health units, and state of the art children’s hospitals in areas that need them the most.
“This is just the start of our Health Infrastructure Plan, with patients set to see and feel the benefits for years to come.”
The 20 hospitals set to be upgraded, at a cost of £850 million, are:
- Luton & Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation trust
- Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS South Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group
- University Hospitals Birmingham
- United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust
- Wye Valley NHS Trust
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge CCGs and North East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
- South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust