Sunak’s extra £200M for NHS risks being engulfed by strikes - Analysis by Tom Harwood
Rishi Sunak visits North Devon District Hospital
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Inspecting two new wards built in the last two years at the North Devon District Hospital this morning, the Prime Minister told reporters that the Government has started planning for winter earlier ever than ever before.
The big announcement today is an extra £200million of new funding to build capacity and resilience for the winter season when pressures are highest and often elective procedures are postponed.
The funding has been welcomed by the NHS Confederation, who said in a statement that “we are assured by the Department of Health and Social Care is new and additional money, should help NHS leaders in their efforts to prepare for and mitigate against the impacts of what will be a seriously difficult and challenging winter period”.
However, the body also warned that the funding may have limited impact “against the backdrop of industrial action estimated to have already cost in the region of £1billion.”
Sunak speaks to patients at North Devon District Hospital
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The federation warned that “the risk is that this money is simply absorbed to cover existing and escalating costs elsewhere, with patients seeing little benefit in terms of day-to-day care, waiting lists or performance”.
The Prime Minister insists, however, that the funding complements a wider package including 5,000 new beds, 800 new ambulances, and the introduction of virtual wards across the country.
The watchword of the day is “resilience”.
The Prime Minister toured first a glistening new inpatient ward which opened in May 2022.
Rishi Sunak peaks to patients at North Devon District Hospital
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This ward was constructed especially for patients having elective orthopaedic surgery such as knee and hip operations, relieving pressure from areas of the hospital covering more acute or urgent needs.
The new ward came about as a result of the Government’s previously announced Targeted Investment Fund to help tackle waiting lists.
Secondly, the Prime Minister dropped by a new discharge ward that opened earlier this Summer.
The idea of discharge wards is that patients who are almost ready to be discharged can free up bed space in other parts of the hospital by being transferred to the discharge ward when they are ready to go home.
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Rishi Sunak announced an extra £200million of new NHS funding
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This has the knock-on effect of freeing up beds throughout the hospital and helps streamline dismissal.
Yet with other news today that the NHS waiting list in England has reached a record 7.7 million, there will be those asking is this too little too late?