Commenting on the news Royal Blackburn Hospital is set to receive £4.7 million for a new 27 bed ward, Antony Higginbotham MP has said:
Locally, we know how devastating it was when the Labour government closed the A&E at Burnley General Hospital. And so what happens at Royal Blackburn matters more than ever!
Making sure it provides the treatment and care patients need is a must. That's why I’m pleased to see the Government has announced an additional £4.7 million of funding to create and open a new 27-bed ward in the emergency department.
I’ve raised healthcare many times in Parliament - and whilst I can’t promise to reopen our A&E in Burnley - this funding will see patients receiving a quicker diagnosis and more capacity which can only be a good thing. It’s alongside the investment going into Burnley Hospital in both elective and urgent treatment too.
New hospital beds are to be delivered as part of £250 million government funding to help treat patients more quickly this winter.
The funding has been awarded to NHS trusts to relieve pressures and help cut waiting lists, one of the government’s top 5 priorities.
Thirty NHS organisations across England will benefit from the investment in urgent and emergency care services, including Royal Blackburn which covers Burnley and the surrounding area. The funding includes developing or expanding urgent treatment centres and same day emergency care services which will help patients to be seen more quickly, without being admitted to hospital. NHS England expects that the majority of schemes will be completed by January 2024 to help deal with winter pressures.
This investment is part of the NHS urgent and emergency care recovery plan, published in January 2023, which set out plans to provide over 5,000 additional permanent, fully staffed hospital beds in total, with the NHS on track to deliver this by winter. These new 900 beds are part of this commitment.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:
Cutting waiting lists is one of my top 5 priorities, so this year the government has started planning for winter earlier than ever before and the public can be reassured we are backing the NHS with the resources it needs.
These 900 new beds will mean more people can be treated quickly, speeding up flow through hospitals and reducing frustratingly long waits for treatment.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said:
We know that winter is a difficult time so we’re working to get ahead of pressures while also creating a sustainable NHS fit for the future. That’s why we’re investing this £250 million to support NHS capacity and deliver 900 new beds, as part of our drive to put in place 5,000 permanent additional beds.
Creating additional hospital capacity will support staff to provide the best possible care and treat patients more quickly, helping us to improve waiting times and cut waiting lists - one of the government’s top 5 priorities.
