NHS to be given £3bn in case of fresh onslaught from pandemic
THE NHS will get an extra £3 billion funding to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus, Boris Johnson is set to announce.
In the wake of a dire warning of the consequences of Covid-19 rebounding, Downing Street said the funding would allow extra hospital capacity while allowing routine treatments and procedures to continue.
The Prime Minister will also use a Downing Street press conference today to commit to a new target of reaching the capacity for 500,000 coronavirus tests a day by November.
The funding for the NHS in England will allow private hospital capacity to be used and for Nightingale hospitals to be maintained until the end of March.
It comes after a report commissioned by the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, warned there could be 120,000 hospital deaths in a
“reasonable worst-case scenario”. Winter always places a great strain on the health service but there are concerns a resurgence of the virus during the annual flu season could be crippling.
A Downing Street spokesman said last night: “Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the British people, the virus is under control and we have eased restrictions in a cautious, phased way. But the Prime Minister is clear that now is not the time for complacency and we must make sure our NHS is battle ready for winter.
“Tomorrow he will set out a broad package of measures to protect against both a possible second wave and to ease winter pressures and keep the public safe.”
The spokesman said the immediate funding for England was new and not previously allocated, while expenditure would be set out for the devolved nations in due course.
Mr Johnson is also expected to publish an additional chapter to the Government’s plans for recovery from the crisis.
Earlier this week he was warned in a report by the Academy of Medical Sciences that action must be taken now to mitigate the potential for a second peak.