The plans would mean 900 extra hospital beds ahead of winter (Picture: PA)
Government plans to give £250 million to the NHS in an effort to cut waiting times and boost capacity have been branded a ‘sticking plaster’ by Labour.
The move will lead to the creation of 900 additional hospital beds ahead of this winter, with 30 health service organisations set to benefit.
It forms part of the two-year Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery plan, which was published in January.
The £1 billion blueprint aims to increase NHS capacity with 5,000 new beds, improve patient experience and reduce waiting times.
New data from NHS England recently revealed waiting lists had reached a record 7.6 million at the end of June.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ‘Cutting waiting lists is one of my top five 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.’
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England chief executive, said: ‘Winter is always a busy time for the NHS and so it is right that we put robust plans in place as early as possible to boost capacity and help frontline staff to prepare for additional pressure.’
NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard welcomed the ‘robust’ plans (Picture: PA)
However, RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen raised concerns about the number of staff available to work on the extra beds.
She said: ‘Everyday nursing staff are under unsustainable pressure, with over 40,000 vacant nursing posts in England.
‘It is leaving our patients receiving lower quality care, often in inappropriate settings, and our colleagues burnt out and heading towards the door.’
Meanwhile, Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused the Conservative Government of saddling the health service with ‘huge backlogs, unacceptable waiting times and an annual winter crisis’.
Nurses, junior doctors and ambulance workers are among the NHS staff who have gone on strike this year over conditions (Picture: EPA)
He continued: ‘Now Rishi Sunak is offering a sticking plaster, which comes nowhere near the 12,000 beds the Conservatives have cut over the last 13 years.
‘Rishi Sunak should apologise for his party’s vandalism of the NHS. Patients deserve better.’
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it would utilise more private sector capacity in a bid to tackle waiting lists and ease pressure on the NHS.
As part of the initiative, 13 new community diagnostic centres will open in England to carry out an additional 742,000 scans, checks and tests per year, eight of which will be privately run.
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Labour said the plans amounted to a ‘sticking plaster’.
