Hospital Trust to receive additional funding to prepare for the winter

Hinckley and Bosworth MP, Dr Luke Evans has welcomed news that University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is set to receive an additional £2 million to support A&E capacity ahead of winter.

The extra money means that the Trust will be able to increase its A&E capacity, put enhanced infection prevention and control measures in place and make improvements to emergency care and urgent treatment services.

Across England, the Government is providing £300 million to A&E departments, with work to be completed by the start of next year so hospitals can benefit from the upgrades during the peak of winter.

In June, the Prime Minister announced plans to accelerate £5 billion of infrastructure spending as part of his New Deal for Britain – an economic strategy to rebuild Britain by putting jobs, skills and infrastructure investment at the heart of the Government’s plans. This funding forms part of the New Deal, which allocated a total of £1.5 billion this year for hospital maintenance, hospital building and A&E expansion.

Dr Luke Evans said: “Staff at University Hospitals of Leicester have worked tirelessly over recent months, and I would like to thank them for everything they have done to get our local community through the coronavirus pandemic.
“While we hope for the best this winter, its right that we plan for the worst. This funding to upgrade A&E across the Trust will ensure that we are in the best possible position for the challenges that the winter months may bring.
“This additional funding is another indication of the Government’s commitment to improving health services for the people of Hinckley and Bosworth, it comes on top of announcements to rebuild our Leicester hospitals, taking on more nurses, and more locally the opening of a state of the art X-ray facility here in Hinckley."