17.07.20
NHS set to receive £3bn funding boost for potential second wave
In preparation for any potential second wave of the coronavirus, the NHS in England is expected get an extra £3bn of funding in an announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The funding is also expected to help ease regular winter pressures on the health service, following warnings a second wave this winter could see significant challenges for UK hospitals and the risk of significant Covid-19 deaths.
Testing capacity is also anticipated to be boosted to 500,000 tests a day by the end of October, as well as the publication of an additional chapter in the government’s recovery strategy for Covid-19, as part of a press conference on Friday (July 17, 2020).
Funding would be immediately available and would ensure the NHS could continue to use additional private hospital capacity and maintain the temporary Nightingale hospitals as part of recovery and preparation efforts.
As well as providing additional capacity for coronavirus patients, the announcement and additional funding would help the NHS facilitating a greater number of routine treatments and procedures, helping the health service overcome a significant backlog as a result of the suspension of non-urgent treatments early in the pandemic.
The funding, which will cover England, was said to be new and not previously allocated. Expenditure for the health services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be set out in due course.
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