Government confirms £21.4 million funding for new hospital beds in Shropshire

The money is part of the Government's plans to pump £250 million into the NHS in a bid to boost capacity and tackle record waiting lists before winter.

The move will lead to the creation of 900 additional hospital beds across England and forms part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery plan, which was published in January.

Around 30 NHS organisations are benefitting from this tranche of funding, including NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, which the Department of Health has confirmed is to receive a funding boost of £21.4 million.

The Shropshire integral care board revealed in July that it was planning a total of 52 new beds as part of a bid to prepare for the pressures of the oncoming winter.

The new beds will be split across Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS sites – Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) at Telford and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH). The split will see 20 beds at RSH, using space already onsite, along with 32 at PRH in a modular ward.

The Government funding for Shropshire has been welcomed by Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski.

The Conservative MP said: "I have fought hard for this additional investment for our local hospital and look forward to seeing how this massive new investment from the Government will help improve services for people across Shropshire and Mid Wales."

The government money is aimed at supporting the development or expansion of urgent treatment centres and same-day emergency care services, allowing patients to be seen faster without the need for hospital admission.

The NHS said it expects the majority of the projects to be completed by January.

It comes after new data from NHS England 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."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the move should allow the NHS to "get ahead" of winter pressures while creating a "sustainable" health service that is "fit for the future".

He added: "Creating additional hospital capacity will support staff to provide the best possible care and treat patients more quickly, helping us to improve waiting times."