Government plans 40 hospital projects and a mental health services pilot
In these febrile times it looks like more cash may well be available for the NHS (although few rural settings feature in this list!). Lets wait to see what actually emerges…. This article tells us:
The government has pledged £13bn for 40 hospital projects across England in the next decade, at the start of the Conservative party conference.
The plans include a £2.7bn investment for six hospitals over five years.
A new approach to NHS mental health treatment is also to be trialled in 12 areas of England – with housing and job support alongside psychological help.
The government says £70m is being invested and the NHS will build more ties with charities and local councils.
About 1,000 extra specialist staff will be recruited in 12 pilot sites, with expertise in a range of mental health issues, the government says.
Under plans drawn up by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, £13bn will be spent on creating “new” hospitals – either with entirely new buildings or revamping existing structures to improve facilities.
Mr Hancock said it was “the largest sum that has ever been invested in the NHS” after the extra £33.9bn the government has committed to spend on the health service up to 2023.
The six hospitals to benefit from the £2.7bn in funding are:
- Whipps Cross Hospital, in Leytonstone, east London
- Epsom and St Helier Trust
- West Hertfordshire Trust
- Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust
- University Hospitals of Leicester Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.
A further 34 new hospitals will receive £100m in initial funding to start improvement projects, including Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham and the North Manchester General Hospital.
The remaining projects, including up to a dozen smaller rural hospitals, would be completed over the second half of the next decade.