The NHS faces a more challenging winter than normal, the Health Secretary has warned as she announced a £140 million boost for urgent care in England.
Yvette Cooper said the money would help increase capacity, and the NHS has been preparing since July to deal with the impact of seasonal illnesses.
She said: “Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer.
“That’s why we have been preparing early and investing in extra urgent care capacity to help get patients the care they need.”
Funding for 14 schemes
The money will be spent on 14 schemes across the country, including new urgent care centres, ambulance fleets and upgrades to emergency departments.
It comes after a summer of extreme heat placed additional strain on the NHS. Almost 7.3 million people attended A&E between June and August, the highest figure for a summer period.
In September, experts warned of a “twin crisis” facing the NHS with the impact of record temperatures in the summer combining with seasonal winter illnesses such as flu and norovirus.
Early flu season warning
The NHS’s national medical director warned earlier this month that hospitals were showing “ominous” signs of an early flu season.
Professor Frankie Swords said hospital admissions for the virus were the “highest” she could remember for the time of year, coinciding with an expected increase in Covid admissions.
Emma Rowland, NHS executive director for performance and delivery, said: “We know this winter will be tough for the NHS and we’re doing everything we can to reduce pressure on our emergency departments and make sure patients get the care they need, while protecting our staff.
“Investment in same-day emergency care and urgent treatment centres will help more patients get the right care in the right place, at the right time.”
She also urged the public to make sure they get vaccinated against flu and other winter viruses if they are eligible.
Reactions from unions and opposition
Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing England, said the extra money was welcome in the short term but would still only provide “just another sticking plaster on a system that is at breaking point”.
She said: “The nursing workforce needed to deliver these services goes into winter already running on empty and short of staff.
“With the Budget just weeks away, ministers have the opportunity to provide the real investment needed to grow a nursing workforce fit for the future and ensure patient care is protected all year round.”
Shadow health secretary Damian Hinds said the Government needs to act, but also to explain where the money for the investment is coming from.
He said: “The public are getting used to vague and often unfunded spending commitments from this Government, and with a crucial Budget approaching, people deserve to have the full details presented to them.
“It would help too if at this critical time the NHS wasn’t having to deal with the inevitable disruption of an ill-thought-through reorganisation, which ministers keep rethinking as they go along.”
Romford hospital overhaul
Almost a third of the money will go towards completely overhauling the A&E department at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, east London, which will receive £42 million.
Chief executive Fiona Wheeler said the announcement was a “landmark moment” for the hospital, adding: “A new A&E department will restore dignity, improve safety and create a setting for our teams to deliver the best possible care.”
