NHS given additional £5,400,000,000 to sort out Covid and mammoth backlog

Billions in extra funding shall be launched to the NHS over the subsequent six months, officers mentioned

A £5.4 billion funding package deal has been introduced to assist the NHS get well from the pandemic.

The Division of Well being and Social Care mentioned the cash shall be unlocked over the subsequent six months.

It’s geared toward tackling a backlog in operations and consultations attributable to Covid restrictions, whereas serving to hospitals address winter pressures and a possible resurgence in Covid instances.

Boris Johnson mentioned the cash will go ‘straight to the frontline’, admitting that folks ‘aren’t getting [treated] shortly sufficient’.

Estimates point out over 5 million individuals are ready for therapies at NHS hospitals in England alone.

Well being Secretary Sajid Javid mentioned clearing the backlog was a ‘top priority’ for the federal government.

He warned that ready lists will nonetheless ‘get worse before they get better’.

Round £1 billion has been ringfenced for clearing ready lists attributable to Covid, whereas £2.8 billion shall be spent on enhancing an infection management.

Boris Johnson mentioned the funding shall be used on ‘frontline’ providers (Image: AFP)

An extra £478 million shall be spent on measures enhancing turnover in hospitals so new sufferers will be seen.

It stays unclear how the package deal shall be paid for, or how ministers plan to deal with longer-term funding gaps.

Spending has already risen significantly past the degrees set out by a five-year spending plan introduced in 2018, primarily because of the pandemic.

Well being our bodies say prices will proceed to be inflated as long as an infection management measures proceed to make well being service provision much less environment friendly.

NHS Suppliers and the NHS Confederation warned final week that an additional £10 billion shall be wanted to deal with day-to-day providers subsequent yr – nearly half of which is able to go to Covid-related prices alone.

Something much less may pressure trusts to chop providers, the our bodies warned.

Get in contact with our information group by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For extra tales like this, check our news page.