PM promises extra £10bn for NHS wards and surgeries and better cyber protection

THERESA MAY has unveiled £10billion of extra funding for the NHS to build more GP surgeries and hospital wards, and pump extra money into cyber security and new technology to help modernise the health service.

Speaking to the BBC’S Andrew Neil the Prime Minister promised to invest £2billion a year over the next five years to bring about a large-scale expansion of sites around the country and allow the service to invest in much-needed new technology.

Mrs May said the money would come from a variety of sources including the Treasury, land and property sales across the NHS and from private investment.

The current capital spending budget for building and technology is around £4.6billion. The extra money will take the total to £14.6 billion over the parliament. It will be ring-fenced to prevent it being used for staffing costs, a Conservative spokesman said.

NHS managers will be free to allocate the money to new projects, but large-scale building work or costly IT schemes will need to be signed off by the Health Secretary.

The money is in addition to the £8billion promised by the Conservatives for the health service to spend on day-to-day running costs.