• NHS funding – 300 million pounds of capital to upgrade A&E facilities across England
• New Infrastructure – to help combat Covid-19 and making hospital experiences safer
• Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to receive over £4,800,000 of this new funding.

Rebecca Harris welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement that £300 million that will become available for NHS trusts throughout the country to upgrade A&E facilities for winter.

The new funding will be used for projects that can be finished by the start of next year and the peak of this winter. Upgrades to A&E facilities in our local area  (Mid and South Essex Trust) could enable increasing capacity for more patients to reduce waiting times, improving infection control and increasing the provision of same day emergency care.

In June, the Prime Minister announced plans to accelerate £5 billion of infrastructure spending as part of his New Deal for Britain–an ambitious economic strategy to rebuild Britain by putting jobs, skills and infrastructure investment at the heart of the Government’s plans. This funding forms part of the New Deal, which allocated a total of £1.5 billion this year for hospital maintenance, hospital building and A&E expansion.

The funding also comes on top of the additional £3 billion that the Prime Minister recently announced to help prepare the NHS for the winter months ahead. This funding will allow the NHS to continue to use the extra hospital capacity acquired from the independent sector through the coronavirus pandemic, and also to maintain the Nightingale hospitals until the end of March next year.

Rebecca Harris commented:

“The sacrifices and bravery of NHS staff during the crisis has been awe inspiring over recent months. I would like to thank them for their amazing work, supporting the people of Castle Point and being there when we needed them most.

“As winter draws ever closer, we must brace ourselves for a difficult period. I am pleased that the Government has made this funding available to ensure that we are in the best possible position to face the challenges ahead of us this winter.

“When I was re-elected in December, I stood on a clear manifesto to invest in and upgrade our NHS. I am pleased that the Prime Minister has been accelerating these plans to meet the needs of the current pandemic.”

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“These upgrades will help our fantastic NHS prepare for the winter months, helping them to deliver essential services and reduce the risk of coronavirus infections.

“It’s vital that those who need emergency treatment this winter access it, and for those who remain concerned about visiting hospitals, let me assure you that the NHS has measures in place to keep people safe.”