GWH receives £5 million extra Government funding to upgrade A&E facilities

By Jamie Hill - 18 September 2020

Health

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has secured extra funding of £5 million.

The trust will use the cash to expand and upgrade A&E facilities, ensuring they have enough space to treat patients, manage patient flow and improve infection control.

South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: “We all know that when the GWH was built under the previous Labour Government that it was too small. That is why since being first elected I have relentlessly lobbied the Health Secretary for money to increase its capacity.

“This funding will provide the hospital with a new single initial assessment area, increase waiting capacity in emergency care and increase emergency care consulting rooms by 50%. 

“The new area with elevated infection control measures will act as a ‘Blue Zone’ where patients identified as potentially infective will be managed.

“I will continue to work closely with the GWH Trust and lobby for further government funding for our local NHS here in Swindon.”

Five NHS trusts in South West in total received nearly £30million extra funding to upgrade A&E facilities ahead of winter from The Government. A&Es in Exeter, Torbay, Dorchester, and Bristol all benefitted as part of a £UK-wide Government boost.

£150million is to be shared across 25 A&Es, with the money being used to expand waiting areas and increase the number of treatment cubicles.

It is on top of the £300million provided by the government to upgrade A&Es announced last month, taking the total investment in A&Es this winter to £450million.

In June the Prime Minister announced plans to accelerate £5billion of infrastructure spending as part of his New Deal for Britain, an ambitious economic strategy to build back better after coronavirus 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 £1.5billion this year for hospital maintenance, hospital building and A&E expansion.

The funding also comes on top of the additional £3billion 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 maintain the Nightingale hospitals until the end of March next year.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “We are investing £450million to make sure our A&E departments are ready for winter.

“Hospitals around the country will be able to expand and upgrade to ensure they can continue safely treating patients in the coming months.

“During the peak of the pandemic we saw millions of people using NHS 111 to get the best possible advice on Covid-19 and other urgent NHS services.

“These pilots will build on this and test whether we can deliver quicker access to the right care, provide a better service for the public and ensure our dedicated NHS staff aren’t overwhelmed.

“We all need to play our part by washing our hands regularly, using a face covering and keeping our distance from those not in our household.

“We are determined to protect the NHS as we did during the peak.”

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