£2m for extra beds at Lister Hospital to ease A&E pressures this winter
’Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer’ says health secretary
Lister Hospital is getting a £2m investment to improve patient flow from A&E to hospital beds.
The funding forms part of almost £140m for urgent care schemes across England - and will help to fund extra beds.
The investment will help during busy periods and is expected to reduce delays and improve patient flow.
MP for Hitchin, Alistair Strathern, said: “Ever since I was first elected, I’ve been pushing for investment to get our local hospitals back where they need to be. Coming on top of over £20m of funding we already secured for Lister Hospital, this £2m investment from the Labour Government is very welcome news. It will provide vital extra beds and capacity."
The investment will provide additional escalation, general, and acute beds - meaning more A&E patients can be admitted to appropriate hospital beds when demand is high.
And of the £20m already secured for Lister this year, £11m is going towards a new children’s centre at the hospital.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “Winter will be more challenging for our NHS this year, after such a heavy summer. That’s why we have been preparing early and investing in extra urgent care capacity to help get patients the care they need."
Mr Strathern added: “From expanding our GP surgeries to investing in new facilities for out hospitals, I’m determined to ensure our local NHS can be there when we need it. There is plenty more to do, but this is another welcome step forward.”